


Draco x Reader one shots

by shyyy_xox



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:02:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 38
Words: 61,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23971996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shyyy_xox/pseuds/shyyy_xox
Summary: a collection of different draco x reader one shots
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Reader
Kudos: 120





	1. Worth It

Your summer with the Malfoy’s had been eventful. You had decided to stay with them instead of your parents simply because they were doing the same work as Draco’s parents and if you stayed with them, at least you had company.

It was raining and almost two o'clock in the morning. There had been a meeting earlier that night and Draco had been asked to attend. Both of you were shocked, but you had had a suspicion of why he had been asked to attend. His father was in Azkaban and he was the only male in Malfoy Manor. He obviously had to step up to his father’s duties, but you didn’t think it would be so soon.

You jumped as the door to Draco’s room clicked open and interrupted your pacing. Draco turned to shut the door behind him and you knew something was wrong because he didn’t turn back around to face you. 

Instead, he leaned his forehead against the door and sighed. You stared at him, giving him his space. You didn’t want to cause a fight between you two, but you were concerned by his actions. He never acted like this. He was always so casual and cool. You’d never seen Draco Malfoy let his guard down. But right now, it seemed as though his guard was completely down. As you stood there, you watched his breathing come quicker and his shoulders started to shake. 

“Draco?” you asked, taking a timid step forward. He didn’t move and didn’t acknowledge your presence. He seemed childlike and vulnerable so you continued to stare at his back. Abandoning your effort of trying to get near him, you turned and sat on his bed by the window. The thing about Draco was that he was going to talk when he was ready to talk and unfortunately, you had to be okay with that.

After about ten minutes, his breathing became more normal, but his shoulders were still shaking. He raised a fist and brought it up to connect with the door in front of him. You jumped. This wasn’t unlike him when frustrated or irritated, but it had been so quiet that this noise seemed louder than it actually was. He turned and made his way towards the bed, sitting next to you. You turned to face him and took his hands in yours.

“What happened?” you asked quietly, fearing you already knew the answer. He shook his head and took one of his hands from yours. He scratched behind his ear; a habit he had picked up recently when he was nervous. 

“Talk to me, baby.” you said, and grabbed his face, forcing him to look at you. He pulled away and put his head in his hands. He sniffed and rubbed his eyes. Suddenly, he looked up. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

“I need to tell you something and you’re not going to like it. In fact, I won’t blame you if you stop loving me. You’ll want to break up with me.” You raised an eyebrow. His statements seemed very dramatic. 

“Highly unlikely, Draco. You’re stuck with me.” you replied and he shook his head.

“No. Listen, I’ve got to do something now that my father is in Azkaban. I need to step up and show the Lord that my family is still as faithful as ever. I’ve got to do this.” he replied and looked at you for the first time since he had entered his room. “I’ve got to do this. I can do this. Everyone thinks I can’t, but I know I can. I’m going to make everything right!”

“Babe, what are you talking about?” you asked. His right arm drifted to his left sleeve and you knew what he was talking about. He didn’t have to roll up his sleeve to show you, but he did. Your mouth fell open because even though you had been expecting this, it still came as a shock. To make a sixteen year old be a part of something so beyond him was cruel. Your fingers drifted over the Dark Mark etched into his skin. He winced and pulled his sleeve down. 

“I’ll understand if you want to leave.” he said, standing up. You shook your head and stood up next to him.

“I know you’re more than this. You’re better than this. I know that you think this is something you have to do but-“

“It is something I have to do! Don’t you understand? I’ve already been given the mark and I’ve been given a mission! I can’t let my father down! I’ve let him down in the past, but I’m going to prove myself worthy this time! No one thinks I can do it, but I can!” he shouted. You took a step back. You took a deep breath and tried to push back your tears. 

“I’d like to say that this erases my feelings for you.. that it makes me hate you.. but unfortunately, it doesn’t Draco. You’re trying to push me away. You’ve done it before and I’m not going to let you do it again. I love you and you’re going to have to deal with that. I don’t care that that mark represents something bigger and more evil than the both of us. I don’t care that you’ve got some stupid mission to do because I know who you really are. I know that your heart is not totally black. You care about more than yourself and it was just proven by you wanting me to break up with you. You think it’ll be safer, but guess what, Draco? My parents are in the same business as yours, so eventually, I’ll have the dark mark as well. We’ll get through this together, but you’ve got to let me in! Stop pushing me away anytime something bad happens! It doesn’t help either of us. I’m in love you Draco Malfoy and some stupid mark or mission isn’t going to change that. I’m yours and you’re mine.” you replied, taking a step forward. 

You grabbed both of his hands and looked up into his sea blue eyes. He smiled and you could see tears in his eyes.

“I’m sorry.” was all he said. You nodded and he pulled you into a tight hug. 

You two would get through it, you always got through everything. You knew it would be difficult, but maybe in the end, it would all be worth it.


	2. By the Lake

_Meet me at the tree by the lake after class. - D_

You looked up from the note on your desk to search for your best friend, Draco Malfoy. Your eyes met his and you gave a small smile. He raised an eyebrow. You nodded and turned back to work on your Defense Against the Dark Arts essay. After about twenty minutes, Snape released everyone from his class and they all headed towards the common rooms to wait for dinner. Instead of following them, you headed outside into the warm fall sunshine. You and Draco always met at the big tree by the lake whenever you needed to talk privately. He would usually let you in on whatever he needed to talk about, but he hadn’t this time. You waited for him for about ten minutes and just when you were about to head back inside, you saw a pale figure heading towards you.

“Hey.” he said, sitting down with his back against the tree.  
“Hey.” you replied and sat down next to him. Your knees were touching and you swallowed, quickly trying to push the fact out of your mind. Draco was cute and there were very few girls who did not have a crush on him. Sometimes, like now, you’d get nervous around him and forget that you’d been friends for years. You glanced at him and saw that he was staring intently out towards the lake. Whenever he was this focused, something was bothering him and that’s probably why you were out here instead of inside with everyone else.

“I need to tell you something. Something happened this summer and I need you to know about it. I have to talk to someone. I trust you and my family trusts you so I think it’s okay that I’m about to tell you this information. You’ve got to swear that you won’t tell anyone, Y/N, do you understand?”

“I’m quite confused, but okay, sure Malfoy, anything.” He took a deep breath and raised his knees to his chest wrapping his arms around them. His head hung low for a minute before his blue eyes met your E/C ones.   
  
“Earlier this summer, I was chosen to complete a mission for… you-know-who. Since my father is in Azkaban and I’m the only male in Malfoy Manor at this time, everyone wants me to take my father’s place. I know I can do what I’ve been chosen to do and it’s an honor to even be considered, but, Y/N, I’m scared. I need for this to work. I need to make my father proud.”   
  
You let out a long slow breath. You knew that Draco becoming a part of Voldemort’s inner circle was always a possibility, but you never thought it would come so soon. Of course, with your family being so involved in the Dark side, it was always a possibility for you as well. But why make Draco do a mission when there were plenty of other Death Eaters who could complete it?  
  
“What’s the mission?” you asked, not sure if you even wanted an answer. He shook his head and dropped his gaze towards the sun setting on the lake.   
  
“I have to kill someone.” he whispered, his voice wavering. You’d never seen Draco Malfoy look so vulnerable. He dropped his head onto his arms and his shoulders started to shake. His breathing was becoming quicker. You raised your hand and started rubbing his back. Seeing Draco cry was very rare and when it happened, you often didn’t know what to do. Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around you and buried his head in the crook of your neck. You continued to rub his back and play with his hair a little bit. You kept whispering encouraging words until the sun set. He raised his head and stared at you for what seemed like hours.  
  
“Are you not going to ask who it is I have to kill?”  
“No. That’s your business and I’m sure you’ve told me enough already. I’m so sorry you have to do this. If I could make it better, I would.” you whispered. He took his hands and laced his his fingers with yours. You looked down at them in shock and looked back up at him.

“Just be there for me, okay? Things are going to get rough, but I want you with me through the whole thing. You’re my best friend and I need you.” he replied with a small smile.   
Your stomach churned at the thought of you guys just being friends, but that could wait for another time. There were too many things going on right now. There was more to worry about than your feelings.   
  
“You got me. If you need anything else, at all, don’t hesitate to ask.” you told him as he helped pull you off the ground.   
  
“Alright,” he paused and his eyes drifted towards the castle behind you. “I’m starving. Race you to the front door.”   
  
And he took off towards the huge oak doors of Hogwarts. You watched him run ahead of you, admiring how carefree he seemed. This year was going to be hard on him. You were sure that this would not be the last late night you’d spend at the tree by the lake.


	3. Baby Steps

Draco sat in the Slytherin common room waiting for his newly acquired girlfriend to make her way down the stairs. It wasn’t really a surprise when he had asked her out. They had been best friends for four years and for three of those, Draco had had a crush on her. And much to Draco’s surprise (and pleasure), she had had a crush on him for four of the four years they’d been best friends.

Draco was getting antsy sitting on the couch so he got up and started pacing back and forth. What was taking her so long? Finally, he heard a laugh that he had heard a million times before and looked up. There she was, making her way down the stairs with her roommates. They were laughing, but hers stood out a little more than the rest. It was a sound he wanted to hear for the rest of his life.

Her friends kept walking towards the door while she made her way towards him. Her hair was divided into two braids that rested on either side of her face and she had traded out her usual uniform shirt for a sweatshirt that Draco swore belonged to him.

“Hi.” he smiled as his arms wrapped around her waist.

“Hello.” she whispered and threw her arms around his neck. She inhaled his scent of mint and some cologne she didn’t recognize. He pulled away but kept his hands on her waist. She stepped back a little and Draco became disappointed at the loss of contact. 

“Shall we head to breakfast then?” she asked and Draco nodded reaching for her hand. Before he could though, she had already made her way out the door and towards the Great Hall. Draco jogged to catch up with her. As he walked beside her, he made another attempt to hold her hand, but she pulled away. She offered him a small smile and Draco frowned. What was wrong with him holding his girlfriend’s hand? He just wanted to show people that they were together… though he was positive that everyone knew already.

As they made their way towards the Slytherin table, he made a third attempt and she pulled away yet again. At this point, Draco was frustrated. Had he done something wrong? Was she upset with him? 

He took his seat next to her. As they ate, he watched as she attempted to make conversation with any other Slytherin besides him. She talked with her hands a lot and it was one thing he loved about her. He loved when she talked about Potions or Quidditch because he could see her eyes light up and she got overly animated. He decided to try to touch her again. 

His hand slipped on to her knee under the table and she jumped. She continued her conversation with Pansy while slipping her hand under the table and pushing his hand away.

Draco sighed loudly, excused himself, and walked away from the table. What was her issue? Why wouldn’t she let him touch her? Was it something he said? Was it something he did? They’d been dating for a couple of weeks now. Shouldn’t she be used to being with him as more than a friend? They’d had several moments in private that were way more intimate than holding hands.

“Draco, wait!” she shouted from behind him. He kept walking back towards the common room. “Draco!” He stopped and turned around.

“What? Finally want to spend time with your boyfriend? Or did you come after me just to push me away again? That’s my sweatshirt by the way. If you don’t want to be with me, you should just get it over with now! We were fine this morning, what happened?” he shouted at her. He watched as she flinched at a couple of his words and almost regretted yelling at her. 

“It’s nothing like that, Draco!” she yelled back. “I love spending time with you! You know that. Don’t accuse me of it because you know that it’s not true in the slightest. I’m not trying to push you away, I swear. I love being in a relationship with you. I waited four years for you. I think we’re so good together, we balance each other out. I’m not breaking up with you. Also _yes_ , this is your sweatshirt, I stole it from you last time I was in your dormitory.”  
  
“Okay, you can say that you want to be with me all you want, but you pull away every time I try to hold your hand or even touch you! You’re fine when we’re all alone, but the second someone else is in the room, you get stand offish and I can barely even look at you without you moving away. What’s your issue?” he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. He stared at her and she looked away.   
  
“Draco… its just… I’m not into publicly displaying our relationship.”   
  
“Why? Are you embarrassed of me, Y/N?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
“Why are you being so insecure? You know I’m into you. I’m not embarrassed of you at all. That’s fucking stupid, Draco. I’m just not use to you touching me all the time. I’m not the kind of person, you know that. We’ve been best friends for four years, for fuck’s sake. I’d like to think you know me better than that.” she said.   
  
There was long silence between the two as Draco thought. So she just didn’t like public displays of affection? That was it?  
  
“I just want to show you off. I want to show people that you’re mine. Not mine as in the ‘I own you’ type of way… Mine as in you chose me over all of the other boys that wanted your attention. I want to prove to people that sometimes the villain does end up with a happily ever after.” he whispered.   
  
He looked down, embarrassed of what he just said. Draco Malfoy could be romantic, but it wasn’t very often he verbally confessed feelings like that. He felt her cold hands on his cheeks and he looked up into her beautiful E/C eyes.   
  
“That was a bit cheesy. But you’re not a villain and I’m sorry. You should’ve told me that. And I’m sorry I just pulled away instead of telling you that I don’t like PDA. I guess we should communicate better.” She laughed a little and he gave a small smile. His hands wrapped around her wrists and he kissed her nose. 

“It’s okay. I get it. We don’t have to hold hands or kiss in public. I should respect your choices and your space. I’m sorry too.” he whispered and leaned in to press his lips against hers. After a couple seconds, she pulled away and rested her forehead on his. She dropped her hands from his face and laced her fingers with his.

“Baby steps.” she offered a smile and he grinned.  
“Baby steps.” Draco repeated.

They walked off hand in hand down to the dungeons and spent the rest of their Saturday cuddling on the couch in the Slytherin common room.


	4. Help Me

“I just feel so stupid!” Y/N groaned as she pushed her textbook away from her. Hermione had just left her in the library after two nonstop hours of studying. Y/N still understood nothing. She crossed her arms on the desk and with an overly dramatic sigh, laid her head on top. She stared at her shoes. There was no way she was going to pass this Potions test tomorrow. 

Suddenly, she felt someone pull the chair out next to her and sit down. Y/N quickly looked up to see someone she really did _not_ want to see at the moment - Draco Malfoy. Potions to Draco was like running to a cheetah; simple and natural. Potions to Y/N was like trying to give a cat a bath; tedious and exasperating.

At any other moment, she would’ve been relieved to see her best friend, but considering the fight they’d had this morning, she’d rather he had stayed away.

_“I can help you with Potions, you know. You don’t have to get Granger to help you. Not sure why you hang out with that mudblood anyway.” Draco snorted. Y/N and Draco were currently on their way to said Potions class. He wasn’t understanding why she’d asked Hermione Granger for help with her Potions work when she had a perfectly good tutor as her best friend.  
  
“She’s better than you, Malfoy. You and I both know that. You’re good, but she’s a little better. Plus, I spend all of my time with you. I haven’t spent time with her in forever and whether you like it or not, we’re friends.” she replied taking her seat next to him in the back of the classroom.   
  
“Well you can’t be friends with her. I don’t like her.” he said and Y/N whirled around in her seat to face him.  
  
“Excuse me? Draco, I can hang with whomever I’d like to. You’re not my father. I don’t need approval from you when I’d like to be friends with someone. Now, if you’ll shut up, maybe I can try and actually learn something in this class.” She turned around in her seat and angled her body away from him. _

_Who was he to tell her who she could or couldn’t hang out with? He had no right. They didn’t talk for the rest of the day and she couldn’t stand sitting next to him in every single class. Thankfully, Y/N had set up a study time with Hermione for later that night and she wouldn’t have to even see Draco for the rest of the day._

“You’re not stupid.” Draco’s voice snapped the girl out of her thoughts from earlier that day. She narrowed her eyes and sent a glare his way. Y/N started throwing her books and pieces of parchment back into her bag. As she reached for her quill and ink bottle, Draco’s hand shot out to grab ahold of her wrist.   
  
“Y/N, stop. I came to apologize. I don’t apologize often, you know that… so just hear me out.” he paused waiting for her to let him continue. When she didn’t say anything, he pressed on. “I’m sorry I told you that you can’t hang out with other people. I don’t mean to try and control you; you’re a person, not a house elf. I just don’t understand why you’re friends with people in other houses. It’s not my business and I’m sorry, okay?”

Y/N stared at him, a bit skeptic of his apology, but considering this was Draco Malfoy, this apology was as good as it was going to get. 

“I’ll forgive you, but I need you to do something for me.” she said, pulling her Potions book back out of her bag.   
  
“Anything.” he replied.  
  
“Please help me pass this test tomorrow.”

He grinned and took the book from her hands. He opened up to their current lesson and put the book between them. After about an hour and a half Madam Pince, the librarian, came around and told them that it was time to head back to their common rooms for the rest of the night.   
  
Walking down the long and winding hallways to the dungeons, Y/N couldn’t help but think about how there was no way she was going to pass the test tomorrow. As they walked through the doors to the common room, she made her way straight to the girls dormitories, but Draco stopped her.  
  
“Where are you going?” he asked.  
  
“To bed. There’s no chance I’m passing that test tomorrow. I only understand like two things. Thanks for trying to help, though. I really appreciate it.” she replied and Draco grabbed her arm, leading her over to the couches. They sat down and he pulled the Potions book out once again.   
  
“I told you I’m going to help you pass this test. Even if we have to stay up all night, you’re going to learn this stuff and you’re going to pass tomorrow.” he pulled parchment out of his bag while she pulled out her ink bottle and quill. 

As the night went on, Y/N realized that she was actually understanding more and more. Draco would stop reading and randomly quiz her on something they’d read an hour before. Nine times out of ten, she’d say the correct answer and she’d feel a little more confident in herself.

The sun was coming up and Y/N was exhausted. She yawned and leaned into Draco’s side, closing her eyes. Maybe she could rest for just a few minutes. 

After what seemed like only a few seconds, she felt someone shaking her. Her vision was blurry as she sat up and looked around. She took in the scent of mint, cologne, and parchment. Her vision cleared and she looked at the blonde haired blue eyed boy in front of her. 

“Come on. We’re going to be late for class. Get up, let’s go!” Draco smirked as he grabbed her hand and pulled her up. He handed her her bag and they made their way towards the Potions classroom. Hopefully she’d still remember everything she managed to learn last night.

About a week later, Snape was handing out the graded Potions tests at the end of class. Y/N didn’t want to look at hers as it was set on the desk in front of her. She shoved it into her bag upside down, deciding that she would deal with it later. She stood up to leave. 

Draco had a different plan though because he snatched the paper back out of her bag. She looked at him as he frowned at the paper in front of him. Defeated, she sat back down and put her head on the desk. Of course she didn’t pass. There was no way she would’ve remembered everything she’d managed to learn in one night. That wasn’t possible.

Y/N felt Draco nudge her shoulder and she looked up at him. He had turned the paper around so the front was facing her. It took a minute for the grade on the paper to register in her brain. She grinned, stood up, and threw her arms around Draco’s neck and her legs around his waist. 

He had kept his word and helped her pass. That was the most she could ask for from him. She was beyond grateful for the blonde haired blue eyed best friend in front of her - even if he was a git sometimes.


	5. Nightmares

_She was running through a forest. The air around her was cold and she could feel the hairs on her arms standing up. Her feet were aching. Her lungs burned with every breath she took. None of this mattered though. It didn’t matter that she had no shoes on. It didn’t matter that it was below freezing and all she had on was a tank top and shorts. It didn’t matter because she had to get away from whoever was chasing her. She didn’t know why but she knew it was important to put as much distance as she could between her and the person behind her. Suddenly she came to a clearing. She stopped to catch her breath. The sound of footsteps and heavy breathing was coming closer. She decided to pull out her wand and turn around to face the person. As she did so, she saw blonde hair and she sighed with relief. It was only Draco Malfoy. He was her boyfriend, he would help her get out of whatever mess she was in. She ran towards him shouting his name, and dropping her wand in the process. Before her mind could register what was happening, a green light shot from Draco’s wand heading for the middle of her chest. She managed to scream_

And awoke in her dorm room.

It seemed to her as though her roommates were deep sleepers because not one of them stirred. Hot tears were racing down her cheeks and she wiped at them furiously. It was just a ~~dream~~ nightmare. 

With tears still coming from her eyes, Y/N grabbed an extra blanket from the trunk at the end of her bed and made her way to the Slytherin common room. As her feet hit the last step, she changed her mind. She turned around and headed back up the stairs to see the only person she wanted to be with at the moment.

She slowly opened the dormitory door. It squeaked as she opened it and she cringed. She quickly closed it before it woke someone up. She scanned the beds - not that she really needed to. She’d been in here plenty of times before. Y/N knew exactly which bed was his. She just liked to make sure that she was crawling in next to _him_ instead of guessing and ending up next to Crabbe or Goyle. Her eyes adjusted to the dark room and she quickly spotted him.  
  
His white blonde hair stuck up in every direction. His eyebrows were furrowed. His eyes were closed and his breathing was slow. His mouth hung open and a soft snore was coming from him. His left hand rested on his stomach and his right hung off the edge of the bed.

She slowly made her way towards him. She threw the blanket around her shoulders and put a hand on his shoulder. She pushed lightly.  
  
“Draco.” she whispered. 

She pushed his shoulder again. He moved a little, but he still wasn’t awake. 

“ _Draco!_ ” she tried again. She shoved him a bit harder and he turned so his back was facing her. She frowned, dropped the blanket around her shoulders, and raised the blanket on his bed. She crawled in next to him. He shifted, but didn’t wake up

After trying and failing to get comfortable, she turned so her back was against his and she was staring at the door. He shifted once more and she heard him inhale as he buried his face into her hair. An arm came around her middle and a chest pressed itself against her back.   
  
“Hey baby.” he mumbled.  
  
“Hi.” she whispered. Her voice sounded small and weak in the quiet room. Draco thought her voice sounded child like. He knew what it was, but sighed and asked anyway.   
  
“Nightmare again?”  
  
“Yes.”   
  
Her voice cracked and she turned around in his arms. A few tears slipped out as she buried her head into his chest. His arms tightened around Y/N and he kissed the top of her head.   
  
“’S okay.” he whispered, still half asleep. “’S alright. You’re fine. I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong, no danger. You’re okay, babygirl, I promise. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. I’d never hurt you. I love you.”   
  
After about ten minutes of Draco repeating those same words and phrases, her breathing slowed and she sat up slowly. The tears were still flowing, but she felt a little better. He sat up too and pulled her into his lap so her legs rested on either side of him. His hands came up to her face and gently wiped at the tears.  
  
“I’m sorry I keep coming in here.” she said sniffling.  
  
“It’s okay. You’re my girlfriend and I’m supposed to always be there for you. Contrary to popular belief, I have feelings and I _do_ care about people. It’s my job as a boyfriend to be there for you _whenever_ you need me - even if it’s two in the morning. I love you.”   
  
“I love you too.”  
  
“But since this is the fifth night in a row of you waking me up, maybe you should just start sleeping in here.” he suggested.  
  
She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea.   
  
“Okay, but only until the nightmares go away.” she said and he grinned.   
  
“Perfect.”

Y/N swung her leg back around and lay down. Draco followed her lead and stretched out on his back. She rested her head on his chest and his arms came around her waist. He kissed her forehead one last time. She fell asleep to a slow heartbeat and an “I love you.”


	6. Slytherin Outcast

_**First Year** _

“Slytherin!” the hat on top of the small girl’s head shouted.

She grinned and skipped over to the table. Her parents would be so proud of her! She sat next to a platinum haired boy. He was small, but still looked to be a bit taller than her. He turned his head towards her and his blue eyes met her E/C ones. He smirked. His right hand reached out towards her and amid the cheering of her school mates, she heard him speak.

“My name’s Malfoy, _Draco_ Malfoy.”   
  
“I’m Y/L/N, Y/F/N Y//L/N.” she grinned and shook his hand.   
  
“I think we’re going to be great friends, Y/LN. Don’t you think?” She nodded and focused her attention back on the rest of the students being sorted.

**_Third Year_ **

As Y/N and Draco grew older and matured, they’d realized they were complete opposites. She had no prejudices towards anyone, whereas Draco came up with something to hate about _everyone_ \- everyone except her. Nevertheless, the two still managed to stay friends. Draco would never admit it to anyone but himself, but he thought he had liked her as more than a friend.

Today was the day they all finally got to go to Hogsmeade. As they approached the front of the school after breakfast, they saw the three people Draco hated more than anyone - Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley.

Growing up, she’d been told that the Weasley’s were not traditional purebloods; as in, they didn’t care about blood status. Malfoy was told the same thing, except he took it more seriously than she did.   
  
“Mudblood, Weasley, Potter.” Draco spat as Y/N tried to pull him past the trio.   
  
“Oh, Draco! Don’t say that word, _please._ Let’s just go. Leave them alone for _one_ day!” she tried to reason with him. He pulled his arm out of her grasp and stood in front of the group.   
  
“Ignore him, Harry. We’ll bring you something back from Hogsmeade, alright?” Hermione said, turning her back towards Draco. She hugged Harry and her and Ron headed off in the direction of the big group in front of them. Draco raised an eyebrow.  
  
“Not going, Potter? Couldn’t get your dear mummy to sign your paper? _Oh_ , that’s right. How could she sign something from the grave?” he teased. Y/N gasped. She’d known that Draco was cruel, but she’d never heard him be so inconsiderate. She put a hand on his shoulder from behind and pulled. He stumbled and his eyes met hers.  
  
“ _Stop,_ Draco. Leave him alone. Go ahead, I’ll catch up you.” she said and pushed him in the general direction of the group. With one last dirty look thrown at Harry, he grudgingly headed off with the group towards Hogsmeade. She looked at Harry as he stood there, seething from the interaction.   
  
“I’m sorry he’s such a git. If you need someone to vent to about him, I’m always available. I know he can be annoying.” she offered. He nodded and she hesitantly made her way to follow the group to Hogsmeade.   
  
As she caught up to them, she saw Pansy Parkinson walking shoulder to shoulder with Draco.   
  
“I saw you talking to Potter, Y/N. Making him feel better about himself, I presume?” Pansy glanced at the girl walking on the other side of Draco. She nodded and Pansy laughed loudly.  
  
“I’m not sure how you ended up in Slytherin. I’m _really_ not sure how you became friends with Draco.” Draco laughed and Y/N frowned. What about that sentence was funny to him? Pansy continued her snide remarks through their trip to Hogsmeade.

**_Fourth Year_ **

The taunting and snide remarks continued. They weren’t just coming from Pansy, now they were coming from everyone in the Slytherin house. She tried to ignore it at first, considering Draco was still talking to her and had continued to be her friend. It was getting continuously hard to ignore though. No matter where she went, someone would make a remark about her being a “blood traitor” or a “disgrace to the entire Slytherin house.”

She started to become closer to Draco. She wouldn’t leave his side and he started to become close to her as well. Things started to change. His hand would rest on her lower back as they walked through a crowded hallway. Their knees would touch as they sat next to each other in class. By the time of the Yule Ball, everyone was convinced they were dating. Much to Draco’s disappointment, they were not. The teasing hadn’t stopped, but Y/N tried her best to not go anywhere without Draco.

**_Fifth Year_ **

Draco had finally stepped up and asked Y/N to be his girlfriend. She’d said yes. She thought being Draco Malfoy’s girlfriend would stop the teasing, but it didn’t. Today was no different than any other; except she couldn’t be constantly by Draco’s side because he had said he had things to do.   
  
She was walking down the hallway towards the Transfiguration classroom. She’d almost made it when Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle stepped in front of her.   
  
“Hey, little mudblood lover!” Pansy laughed.  
  
“Please move, Pansy. You hate me and I get it. I’m sorry you don’t see why it’s important to be kind to people, but you don’t have to torture me because I do.” Y/N fired back, stepping to the side. She wasn’t going to take it today. Pansy stepped in front of her.

“I don’t think so. I heard you and Draco started dating. Congratulations on being a charity case!” Crabbe and Goyle laughed at her comment.

Y/N frowned.  
  
“It’s not like that. Draco loves me. Please move.”   
  
“No. You know, I don’t think you deserve Draco. He’s too good for you. You shouldn’t even be allowed to be in Slytherin. You’re worthless, like gum on the bottom of my shoe.”  
  
“If you have gum on the bottom of your shoe, you should probably remove it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to be late to Transfiguration; as are you.” There was a crowd now, and Y/N noticed people staring.

“So Y/N,” Pansy said loudly, noticing the large crowd as well. “What do Draco’s parents think of you?”   
  
She honestly had no idea what Draco’s parents thought of her. It was no secret that she was nice to everyone - no matter blood status or other factors. They acted like they liked her while she was around, but was that just because of Draco? Y/N crossed her arms defiantly.   
  
“I just want to let you know that they _love_ me. His mother told me so. She said she wished he would be with me instead of you. His father agreed with her. Want to know why? Because you’re a blood traitor, Y/N. Everyone knows it. It’s also no secret that Draco is with you because he feels bad for you. He’s going to break up with you and he’s going to humiliate you in front of everyone. I can’t wait to watch.” Pansy smirked.   
  
Tears sprung to the front of Y/N’s eyes. There was no way that was true. She looked at the circle that had formed around them. Her breathing came quicker and she tried to back away from everyone. Someone pushed her from behind and she fell to her knees. Her books fell out of her bag. The tears started coming down her cheeks rapidly and she cursed. She didn’t want to cry in front of anyone - especially these people.  
  
“Are you _crying?_ ” Pansy laughed from somewhere in front of her.   
  
Y/N swallowed. She was starting to feel sick to her stomach and she could hear her heart beat. Her hands started to shake and she stood up. Pushing her way through the crowd, she ran towards the front of the school. She didn’t care that she was going to miss class or that she had left all her books on the floor.   
  
She needed fresh air. She needed to breathe and feel something she knew was real. Her vision was blurry because of the tears still making their way down her face and she could barely see where she was going. She made her way down a staircase and then down another. She raced down a hallway.   
  
Y/N turned a corner and bumped into someone. Their arms came out to steady her so she wouldn’t fall. She looked at the person in front of her. Her hands came up to her face and she started sobbing uncontrollably. Draco pulled the girl into his arms and started rubbing her back. He’d never seen his girlfriend like this before. He’d never even seen her cry before and he was concerned.   
  
“Shh. Baby, what happened? Are you okay?” he asked and held her at arms length. He pulled her hands away from her face to check for bruises or scratches. His eyebrows came together in confusion as he checked her over. There was nothing. So what was the deal?  
  
“I need you to calm down.” he said as she started to hyperventilate. “Look at me. Breathe with me. Focus on me, okay? I’m right here.” He took a deep breath in and slowly let it out. She tried to, but she just ended up coughing. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms. He took a deep breath in and let it out again; trying not only calm her down, but himself as well. She was scaring him. She followed his breathing and soon hers was back to normal. Her tears had slowed and the shaking had stopped.   
  
“Can you tell me what happened?” he asked as he wiped at a few tears on her cheeks. She swallowed and opened her mouth to speak.  
  
“I-I-I can’t do this a-anymore, Draco.” His jaw dropped as he stared at the beautiful girl in front of him.   
  
“You can’t do what anymore?” he asked.

“Th-They all hate me. They hate me for dating you. They hate me for being a n-nice girl in Slytherin. I don’t know what I did to deserve it. Maybe I d-do deserve it, I don’t kn-know.”

Her breathing was becoming strange again and the tears were picking up speed. Draco pulled her into his arms and held her tight.

“No, no, no. No one hates you, no one thinks that you don’t deserve to be in Slytherin. What are you talking about? Who’s they?” he asked.

“Pansy and everyone else in our house . They’ve been saying it since third year! She started it on our first trip to Hogsmeade. You laughed when she said she didn’t understand how we were friends. Do you remember that?” Her arms came around his waist and held on tight.

“I remember, but I thought she was joking. Yes, you and I are total opposites, but if anyone in this relationship doesn’t deserve the other, it’s me. I don’t deserve you. Your heart is made of gold and mine is as black as night.”   
  
She looked up at him. She didn’t think his heart was black at all. He was kind and he was smart. He cared about her more than she thought he should. His heart wasn’t totally black.

“You and I both know that’s not true.” she whispered. He smiled.

“Aren’t I the one who’s supposed to be making you feel better?”

She laughed and wiped her tears one last time. Draco’s hand intertwined with hers and he pulled her in the direction she just came from.  
  
“As far as Pansy goes, I can talk to her about it. Maybe I’ll give her a taste of her own medicine.” he suggested. She shook her head.  
  
“No, it’s okay. I’ll deal with it.” Y/N answered.   
  
Draco untangled his hand from hers. He slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. He kissed the top of her head.   
  
He was _definitely_ going to give Pansy a taste of her own medicine.


	7. Insomniac

Insomnia was no stranger to Y/N. She’d spent several nights of her life wide awake only to have to get up and go to class the next morning. Of course, there were nights her brain was so tired and she was so physically exhausted that she passed out when her head hit her pillow. Tonight was not one of those nights.

She had spent the summer at Malfoy Manor with Draco and tonight was their final night before they would head back to school the next morning. They were fixing to head into their sixth year at Hogwarts and things had gotten tense around the house. Draco had spent the day with his mother in Knockturn Alley so he had fallen asleep easily. Y/N, however, was still wide awake. She glanced at the clock hanging on Draco’s wall. Two o’clock and she was still up.

She tossed and turned in the bed, trying her best not to wake up the boy lying next to her. She sighed heavily and sat up. She threw the covers off of her. Y/N looked at the boy lying there peacefully. His hair was a mess and she giggled as a soft snore interrupted the silence of the room. She watched as his chest would rise and fall with every slow breath he took and she became jealous. How did he fall asleep so easily? She threw herself back down and groaned as quietly as she could. She closed her eyes and snuggled into Draco’s back. After a few minutes of not succeeding, she rolled over and out of bed. Maybe some fresh air would help.

Y/N pulled on one of Draco’s sweatshirts and slipped her feet into her slippers. Slowly, she made her way out of the bedroom and down the stairs.

After spending the summer there, she knew the Manor inside and out. She walked down another staircase and came to her favorite spot in the entire house. There was a large window with a bench like seat. She walked towards the window at the end of the long hall and threw it open. The cold night air hit her in the face. She breathed in deeply. This was her favorite spot when she couldn’t sleep and she was staying the night with Draco.

She sat facing the open window cross legged on the bench like seat. Her hands rested in her lap. She thought about Draco and how he was sleeping soundly in his room. Y/N had never been able to sleep like that. There were very few nights where she actually even slept. Her head turned up in the direction of the big night sky. Looking at the stars was one of her favorite things to do.

Back in the dark bedroom, Draco had grown cold. He frowned as he rolled over to cuddle closer to his personal heater. Y/N had a hot body temperature and he’d grown to love it. As he threw his arm in her general direction, it hit cold sheets. Draco sat up in a panic. Where was she? He knew she had trouble sleeping, but would she leave the room? Would she leave the Manor?

Draco tossed his legs over the edge of the bed and slipped some socks on. He ran out of his room and down a staircase. Taking the very same steps Y/N had taken earlier, he came across his girlfriend. 

She was sitting in a window and staring up at the sky. He sighed in relief and her head snapped in his direction. He smiled and walked the few feet to her. Her previously worn frown had turned into a soft smile. She looked back up at the night sky while Draco stood behind her. His hands traveled up to her shoulders. 

“Which one is Draco again?” she whispered. His right hand trailed down to meet hers and he raised both of them as he pointed out the constellation.

“There it is.“ he whispered back in her ear. A shiver ran down her spine and Draco struggled to keep his composure. It was noticeably colder in the hallway than in his bedroom, but Draco knew that shiver had nothing to do with the open window letting the cold air in.   
  
She turned around to face him. Her arms came up to rest around his neck and his came to rest on her lower back. Their faces were close.

“What are you doing up, love?” he asked.

“I couldn’t sleep. What are _you_ doing up? You were sound asleep when I left the room.” she answered.  
  
“I was cold. I went to snuggle up to your insanely hot body temperature and you weren’t there. Scared me a bit.” She laughed and he picked her up and set her feet on the floor. Her arms stayed around his neck and her head rested on his chest. He started to sway them both back and forth. She giggled.

“What are you doing?” she asked, looking up at him.   
  
“Dancing. Can I not be romantic with my girlfriend?” She shook her head back and forth. He smirked. Draco took a step back, grabbed her hand, and lifted it up. She spun under his arm. Y/N came back to rest her head on his chest and he kept swaying. She closed her eyes, truly relaxing for the first time that night. Draco hesitated before he spoke.

“I want you to know that no matter what happens this school year, I love you more than I could love anything else in this world.” She stopped swaying with him and backed up. Raising an eyebrow, she looked into his blue grey eyes.

“I love you too. What’s going on? Are you okay?” she asked. He nodded and intertwined their fingers.

“Nothing is going on, I promise. I just wanted to tell you I love you. Also, I’m incredibly tired. Can we go back to bed?”

“Only if you carry me.” she smirked. He turned around and she jumped on his back. As they made their way back to Draco’s bedroom, Y/N’s eyes began to get heavy and she closed them. Draco entered his room and dropped her on the bed, climbing on top of her. His hand traveled to her cheek. He leaned down until their lips touched and he felt the all too familiar sparks shoot through him. Reluctantly, Draco pulled away and rolled over to his side, leaving his hand on her stomach. She rolled to her side as well and Draco pulled her closer to him.

“I love you, Draco Malfoy.” she whispered.

“I love you too, Y/F/N Y/L/N. Go to sleep.”


	8. Bet

Y/N sat in the Transfiguration classroom, waiting for class to begin. She’d had a good morning so far. Her toast had had just the prefect amount of cinnamon and her Pumpkin juice was exactly what she’d needed. She observed the other students in the classroom. As she turned around in her seat, she glanced to the back of the room. There was a group of girls giggling loudly and walking with a tall blond hair blue eyed boy. Her E/C eyes met his and she quickly turned back around to face the front.

“Hey gorgeous.” the boy whispered in her ear.

A pair of hands rested on her waist. She turned around quickly and rose from her seat. Between when their eyes had locked and now, he’d lost the group of girls. Standing in front of her now was the most annoying boy in the Slytherin house - Draco Malfoy. She raised her hands to rest on his chest.

“Hi Malfoy.” she whispered. He smirked and Y/N rolled her eyes, pushing him away.

“Ah come on, you know you want me, Y/L/N.” he replied.

“You wish.” she scoffed and took her seat. Draco sat in his seat next to the girl. She opened her mouth to tell him to move, but she wasn’t quick enough because Professor McGonagall arrived and began their lesson for the day.

After an annoyingly large amount of time spent by Draco trying to mess Y/N up while she was taking notes, they had about five minutes until class let out. They were supposed to be practicing vanishing spells, but the mischievous boy had other plans. His hand danced its way across the desk towards the girl. She was so focused on trying to make the snail in front of her disappear - and perhaps making the boy next to her disappear - she took no notice of the pale hand making it’s way towards her.

Draco’s hand slid off the desk and rested on Y/N’s knee. She squealed and jumped away from him. Scowling, she grabbed her books off the table and slid them into her bag. As she turned to leave, he caught her arm.  
  
“Why do you hate me?” he asked.

“I don’t hate you. Hate is a strong word.”  
  
“Then why won’t you date me?”  
  
“You’re mean to people, Malfoy! Why would I, or anyone else that has half a brain want to date someone like that? Why would I put myself in that situ-“  
  
“Alright then, let’s make a bet.” he cut her off. She scoffed for the second time that day, looking into his eyes.  
  
“Why would I make a bet with you?”

“If I prove to you that I can be a nice person, you have to let me take you on a date. If I don’t prove it, I’ll leave you alone and we never have to talk again. Deal?”

She considered his offer. Y/F/N Y/L/N falling for a _Malfoy_ \- or any Slytherin _-_ was highly unlikely. If he proved to be a good person, maybe she could have feelings for the boy. If he proved that he couldn’t abandon his ways, she’d have the satisfaction of him never talking to her again.   
  
“Alright, you have yourself a deal.” She decided and stuck out her hand to shake on it. Draco stood up, grabbed her hand, and pulled her closer. She squealed again.  
  
“You’ll be mine in no time little Ravenclaw.” he smirked. Dropping her hand, he picked up his bag and sauntered out of the room. Flustered, Y/N followed him out into the hallway.

A few weeks had passed and Draco had kept up his antics. He flirted with Y/N whenever he could. She liked to brush it off, but she couldn’t ignore the fact that Draco _was_ being nicer to people. He’d notice her paying attention and he’d purposefully do something nice. If someone needed extra ink or parchment, Draco was always the one to offer. He had stopped making fun of people and to Y/N’s knowledge seemed to be holding up his end of their bet.

Until one day - after Draco had relentlessly flirted with her throughout the entire Potions test and she had let his arm touch hers and his fingers travel down the small of her back - did she see that Draco wasn’t holding up his end of the bet. They had made their way into the hallway. Y/N was walking slowly behind the big group of students heading who knows where when she saw Draco shoving his way through the crowd. She picked up her speed until she was a safe distance behind the boy. A small first year Gryffindor had accidentally bumped into the tall boy and he grabbed the boy by the collar of his robes. 

“Watch where you’re going, Mudblood! Why can’t you lot just keep to yourselves? I’m so sick of bumping into you with every corner I turn.” Draco shouted at the child. Y/N gasped as a circle started to form around the two. A pair of blue eyes met her E/C ones. Draco’s hand dropped the first year’s robes and his mouth formed an “o” shape.

“Y/N, I- I- I didn’t mean it. I was just upset because of the test week took I-“ he stuttered. She ignored his out of character stuttering.  
  
“Save it, Malfoy. I _knew_ you couldn’t change! Don’t ever talk to me again. The bet is off.” she interrupted and pushed her way through the gawking crowd. Draco watched as she walked away from him and out of his life. How did he always mess up everything good in his life?  
  
Two months had passed and Draco’s attempted flirtations had stopped. At first, he’d tried to keep it up, but she pushed him away every time he tried. Y/N was currently making her way down a hallway and towards the library. There were two people blocking her path and a third leaning against the wall.

She sucked in a breath as she saw the tall blond boy. It was the first time she’d looked at him in weeks. He was paler than usual and his eyes were downcast. His hair stuck up in a few places. His arms were crossed and his lanky figure was leaning on the wall with one foot raised and pressed against the wall. Crabbe and Goyle were in a sumo wrestling position in the middle of the hallway. Her feet came to a stop and she hugged her books to her chest. Turning around, she was determined to find a different way to her favorite spot. Crabbe and Goyle had different plans.

“Hey Y/L/N, where are you going?” Crabbe shouted after her. Draco’s head snapped in her direction. She turned around and glanced at him before setting her sights on the hallway in front of her. She’d just go to the library this way. They already saw her and avoiding them seemed stupid now.  
  
“I’m going to the library to get smarter. You should try it sometime.” she replied making her way past them. Before she could safely cross, a hand came out and knocked the books from her hand.

“Can’t get smart without your books, now can you?” Goyle laughed as he kicked one down the stone hallway. Crabbe snickered and kicked two more in the opposite direction. Y/N sighed, annoyed by their boyish actions.

“Leave her alone, you bloody idiots! She’s smarter than the two of you combined. Now go find food to stuff your faces with and don’t bother coming back!” Draco barked. The two boys jumped at the loud voice. Their eyes widened and they backed off down the hallway.

“If you think that defending me is going to make me forgive you, then you’re wrong. You don’t have to defend me, I’m fine all by myself, thanks.” Y/N replied. She bent over to pick up her books while Draco made his way to retrieve the one Crabbe had kicked earlier.

“It was one time, Y/N. I slipped up. I was having a bad day.” Draco tried explaining. Y/N paused in her walk down the opposite end of the hallway.

“So who’s to say that you wouldn’t snap like that if I dated you?” she asked, picking up the book that Goyle had kicked earlier.   
  
“Because I’m so bloody into you I can’t see straight! That’s not a reason, but these months without talking to you or touching you have killed me. You keep me sane, Y/N! Don’t you understand?” he yelled and she jumped. The hallway was void of anyone but the two teenagers. The two stared at each other without a word for awhile. Finally, Draco crossed the distance between them. He handed over her books and she put them all in her bag - a lesson she wouldn’t have to be taught again.

His hands slowly reached out towards hers. She let him intertwine their fingers. She looked around the hallway before settling her gaze on his face.  
  
“Are you _sure_ you can’t forgive me? I promise I’ll be better… and you can punish me if I start being mean to people again.” he winked and she laughed.  
  
“How about we give it a try? If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.” she suggested and his eyes lit up. He grinned.  
  
“Are you being serious?”   
  
“Yes, I’m being serious. Now kiss me, you git.” Draco grabbed Y/N’s face with his hands and their lips met. Y/N felt sparks she didn’t think she would feel. She hoped she had made the right choice. Draco was glad that he had been so persistent. If he hadn’t taken a chance, where would they be now? Pulling away, Draco spoke.  
  
“By the way, I think I win the bet.”


	9. Kiss Me in the Morning (part one)

Whether Slytherin won or lost a Quidditch game, it was always an excuse for them to have a party. Y/N usually made an appearance for an hour or so then made her way to bed, but tonight was different. Her best friend, Pansy Parkinson, had somehow convinced her to stay in the common room. Y/N had to admit she was having fun. Between the loud music being played and the increasing amount of fire whiskey she had consumed, she felt free.

These last few weeks had been academically intense and maybe that’s why she’d agreed to stay down in the crowded common room. As her hips swayed to the music, she bumped into people. No one seemed to mind until a pair of hands gripped her waist from behind. She spun around quickly. Standing in front of her was a blonde hair blue eyed boy with a sharp jawline and a mischievous smirk.  
  
“Draco!” she shouted and jumped on him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his torso.

“Hey, love.” he laughed and his arms snaked back around her waist.

“I missed you! You did so good at the game today. We won, right?” she slurred. He nodded and reached around to untangle her legs from him. She grudgingly got down and pouted. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and lead her to a less crowded place.

“How much have you had to drink, Y/N?” he asked.

“Um, only a little. Pansy convinced me to stay down here tonight! It’s great. Why haven’t I done this before?”

Draco only shook his head back and forth. Usually, this wasn’t Y/N’s scene. Her scene was less crowded and far more quiet. He looked around and his eyes locked with a dark haired girl’s across the room. She smirked and turned the music down.

“Who wants to play truth or dare?” Pansy yelled. A few raised their hands, including Y/N who was also jumping up and down.

“I love that game! Draco, come play with us!”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. You’re drunk. Why don’t we go upstairs or take a walk?” he suggested and was quickly shot down by her dragging him through the crowd and towards Pansy. As they got to the small circle, Y/N pulled him down to sit next to her.

“Loosen up, Draco. Here.”

She handed him a shot glass and raised an eyebrow. He took it from her, smirked, and threw his head back as he downed the alcohol. It burned as it made it’s way down his throat, but it quickly disappeared as he downed four more. For every shot he took, she took two more. Finally, Pansy sat down and the game began.

“Since I suggested it, I get to go first. Whoever I ask, goes next. You can’t ask the same person who asked you. If you refuse to answer your truth or go through with your dare, you have to do 10 shots of fire whiskey. Got it?” Pansy looked around at the seven people in front of her. They all nodded and she smirked once more. The rest of the Slytherin students stood around, watching the scene unfold.

“Blaise, truth or dare?” she asked.

“Truth.” he said and Pansy frowned.

“How many girls in this circle have you liked as more than a friend?”

“All four. You, Jessica, Daphne, and Y/N.” he answered.

Y/N giggled and looked at Draco sitting next to her. His jaw was visibly clenched and his hands had curled into fists. His muscles were tensed. He was upset and it was obvious- but why?

“Goyle, truth or dare?” Blaise smirked.

“Easy; I’ll go with dare.” he answered and Blaise’s mouth twisted into a grin.

“I dare you to sit on Pansy’s lap for the rest of the game.” Goyle wasn’t one to back down from a dare so he did exactly what Blaise told him to do while Pansy threw a fit. She wasn’t happy and she started to regret the fact she’d started this game.

“Alright,” Goyle paused, looking around the circle. “Y/N, truth or dare.” Y/N smirked.

“Truth. I’ll do dare the next time.”

“Okay, fair enough. Tell us about your first kiss.”

Y/N’s smirk faded. She hadn’t had one. None of the boys at Hogwarts or back home had ever been interested in her in that way. She felt as though she was annoying and wasn’t pretty enough for any of the guys at school. None of them had ever approached her wanting more than a friendship. It was embarrassing.

Draco looked at her. She noticed his stare and everyone else’s as well. Her breathing was coming quicker and her eyes became glossy. She looked at the people in front of and around her. Her eyes finally landed on Draco’s blue ones. He gave a slight nod of his head and scooted closer to her.

“I think that’s enough for tonight. She’s drunk. We’re not playing anymore.” Draco stood, pulling Y/N with him. “What are you all staring at? Get back to your idiotic game!” he shouted as he pulled her through the crowd.

“You both owe ten shots of fire whiskey!” Pansy yelled after them.

“No, we don’t, Pansy. Give it up already. You _know_ she can’t take much! She’s done enough for tonight.”

Draco pulled Y/N up the stairs and through the door to his dormitory. She made her way to the edge of his bed and sat. Her knees were pulled up, her arms crossed on top of them, and her head on top of her arms. Her body started to shake as tears streamed down her face. Draco quickly closed and locked the door. He made his way to sit next to her and pulled her into his arms. He kissed the top of her head and let her cry it out.

As her tears slowed, he kneeled in front of her. He pulled at her legs so her feet rested on the floor and uncrossed her arms. She looked at him through watery eyes and tried to smile.   
  
“What was that about?” he asked, wiping at the tears on her cheeks. She looked away. Sure, Draco and Y/N were best friends, but she’d _never_ tell him she’d never been kissed. It was embarrassing no matter who she was telling. She was fifteen, for crying out loud. She was positive everyone else had had their awkward fist kiss already.

His fingers intertwined with hers and she wanted to cry again.

“It’s nothing. I just didn’t want to answer the question. It was stupid.” She pulled one hand out Draco’s, pulled the sleeve of her shirt down, and wiped at her nose.

“Okay, why don’t we get you in bed then?” he asked. She tilted her head to the side. Draco slid off her shoes and pulled down her socks. He looked up from his spot and she was staring at him.

“Up.” he said, standing up. She stood up as well. She wobbled in her place and Draco’s arms came out to steady her. Her head tilted back up and her E/C eyes met his icy blue ones. She swore his eyes were the same color as the ocean and she reminded him of it often. He said he hated it, but he secretly loved the way she made everything sound like poetry.

She giggled and placed a hand behind Draco’s neck. Draco’s guard came up, but his hands found their way to her waist. She pulled him closer to her and his breathing came quicker. Their noses touched and she closed her eyes. Their lips almost touched and Draco pulled away. She frowned and her arm came back down to her side.

Of course Draco would reject her. Who was _she_ to _the_ Draco Malfoy? His best friend; that’s it. That was all they ever would be. His hands came down to quickly intertwine with hers. She pulled away from him and crossed her arms.

“No, no, no, no. You misunderstood. I _want_ to kiss you. I want to kiss you _so bad_ right now. I’ve waited four years to kiss you.” he pleaded and his hand came under her chin. She let him tilt her gaze to his.

“Then why’d you pull away?” she slurred, her hands flying in the air. She was getting angry now.

“You’re drunk. I’m not going to kiss you when you’re under the influence. I’ll kiss you when you’re sober, okay?”

“I’m dizzy. I don’t feel good.” She pouted.

He offered a small smile and kissed her cheek. He sat her on his bed and spoke once more.

“Let me go get something for you to sleep in, alright? I’ll sleep on the floor tonight.”

Y/N nodded and sat on the edge of his bed. It was comfier than she originally thought it was. She shifted her position and lay her head on his pillow. She curled into a ball. Her eyes drifted shut. Draco turned around from his position at his dresser and grinned. She looked fragile. He didn’t want to disturb her, but she couldn’t sleep in her school uniform.

“Hey,” he whispered as he pushed her shoulder lightly. “Put these on, you can’t sleep in your uniform. The professors will have a _fit_ if they’re wrinkled.” She slowly sat up.

“I’m so tired… and dizzy… and my head hurts really bad, Draco. I don’t feel good. Can you do it for me?” she whined. He laughed nervously.

“Well, you’re like this because you drank too much. Are you sure you want me to do it?”

“Yes.”

His hands shook as they began to unbutton her shirt. The top one, the next one, the one after that. Draco tried to focus, but she was making it hard. He tried to shut his mind off. He reminded himself that she wasn’t in her right mind; that she was drunk. His fingers managed to unbutton the last button and he sighed with relief. She dropped her arms and the shirt slid off. Draco pulled one of his Slytherin sweatshirts over her head. It came to the middle of her thigh.

He sucked in a breath as she turned around. He steadied his hands and evened out his breath. This was his best friend. He’d seen her like this before. She changed in front of him all the time. Why was this any different? He unbuttoned and unzipped her skirt. It fell to the floor and Draco cleared his throat as he looked anywhere but her. She took the sweat pants from him and turned around. She slipped her legs into them and collapsed on the bed. Her head landed on the pillow and her eyes closed.

Draco changed into his own pajamas and sat on the edge of the bed. He pushed her hair out of her face. Her left hand came up to rest on his. Her eyebrows came together and she spoke.

“Draco, will you stay with me? I don’t feel good.” He laughed at her reoccurring comment.  
  
“I’m right here, love.”

“No, I mean, sleep with me.”

“Are you sure?” he asked and she nodded. “Okay then, scoot over.”

She did as he said and she wasted no time in cuddling up to him once he was in bed. He pulled his covers around them.

“You’re still going to kiss me in the morning, right?” she yawned.

“Of course, you lightweight. Go to sleep.” he said, but his comment was wasted.

Her breathing was already slow and her mouth was hanging slightly open.

Morning couldn’t come fast enough.


	10. Kiss Me in the Morning (part two)

There was a bright light coming from somewhere. And next to her, she felt an overwhelming sense of heat. Her head hurt and she felt like she was going to puke. Y/N slowly pried her eyes open. She was laying on her side and there was a face in front of hers. Startled, she rolled to the other side of the bed and fell onto the floor. Groaning, she sat up and took in her surroundings.

Hearing the loud noise, the boy on the bed was awoken. He sat up and rolled to the other side of the bed. Sitting on his floor in a pile of blankets was his best friend. She wore a frown on her face and an eyebrow was raised. She was looking around the room through narrowed eyes as if she was trying to figure out where exactly she was. Her E/C eyes came to a stop on his blue ones. He gave her a small smile. Her face softened as they looked at each other. 

Draco’s hand reached towards the girl. She gladly took it, standing up, and crawling back into the bed. Her head rested against Draco’s headboard and he sat up next to her.

“Do you remember anything from last night?” he asked and Y/N’s hands came up to her face.

“Don’t be so loud, Draco!” she whispered. He laughed and spoke again in a whisper.

“Do you remember anything from last night?”

“I remember Pansy convincing me to stay down at the party… and I remember I drank _a lot_ of alcohol. I think I remember playing a game of truth or dare, right?” He nodded and she continued. “The last thing I remember is you bringing me up to your room. That’s it.” He raised an eyebrow.

“You don’t remember trying to kiss me? Or asking me to take your clothes off?” he smirked. 

She started laughing and her hands covered her face. She was embarrassed. She tried to kiss _Draco Malfoy_ last night. Draco Malfoy. Her best friend. A boy she had told about her crushes a thousand times. A boy that she had a crush on. She liked Draco - as more than a friend. The fact that she tried to kiss him while she was insanely drunk didn’t surprise her at all. However, the fact that she’d asked him to undress her was a new level of embarrassment.

“Are you kidding? Draco Lucius Malfoy, I will kill you if you’re making this up.” she joked, dropping her hands from her face.

“I’m not joking at all, Y/N.” he said. 

She groaned and threw herself forward so she was laying on her stomach. Her face was buried in his blankets. They smelled just like him - mint, cologne, and laundry soap. Deciding to change the subject, she rolled over on to her back and stared at the ceiling.

“How did I get here anyway?” Y/N asked.

“Well, uh, it was Goyle’s turn while we were playing truth or dare and he asked you the question. You decided that truth was a safer bet. He told you to tell us about your first kiss. You kind of freaked out so I took you up here. It was one of Pansy’s little games, I’m sure.”

Y/N frowned. How could it be one of Pansy’s games? Sure she was the only one who knew that she had a crush on Draco and that she had yet to have her first kiss, but it was Goyle who asked her about it. Had Pansy told him what to ask Y/N? Impossible. Unless, of course she had…

“Did I tell you why I freaked out?”

“No, you didn’t. I wasn’t gonna push you to answer something when it was obvious you didn’t want to answer.” he answered.

Y/N took a deep breath and let it out. Should she tell Draco that she’d never had her first kiss? He deserved an explanation after how nice he’d been. He let her sleep in his bed. He had taken care of her when she was too drunk to function. He was also her best friend. She knew she could talk to him about anything. Would he laugh though? It was no secret that girls were all over him.

“I’ll tell you.” she decided. 

She didn’t sit up nor did she turn her attention away from the ceiling above her- half of the reason being that she wanted to avoid looking the boy in front of her in the eyes and the other half being that if she did sit up, she’d probably puke. She took another deep breath and spoke.

“I’ve never been kissed.”

She closed her eyes and waited for a reaction. There was no laughing. The boy didn’t speak. Instead, she felt movement as he shifted from sitting at the top of his bed to lay down next to the nervous wreck of a girl at the bottom of his bed. She opened an eye. Draco was lying on his side with his elbow propping him up and looking down at her.

“Don’t make fun of me please.” she begged and turned her head to meet a pair of blue eyes.

“I’m not going to make fun of you. It’s not a big deal. Some people have their first kiss at the age of eleven and some people _never_ have their first kiss. It’s okay.” he explained, trying to make her feel better. Instead, she frowned.

“That doesn’t make me feel better, Malfoy. You don’t get it! Pansy has had her first kiss, Daphne has had her first kiss, Jessica has had her first kiss, _You’ve_ had your first kiss!”

“ _So what?_ Why does it matter?”

“So what! Are you _kidding,_ Draco? It makes me feel like shit. Boys don’t like me here and they don’t like me back home! There’s obviously something wrong. Maybe I’m just not-“

She was cut off by Draco’s lips being pressed to hers. His eyes were closed and he was leaning over her. Her eyes drifted shut. Her arms found their way up to his neck and her hands tangled in his messy hair. Y/N pressed her lips to his and he changed his position. He was laying on top of her now. One of his legs was resting between hers and his right hand had found it’s way to the back of her neck. Draco reluctantly pulled away, breathing heavily.

“That was…” he tried to describe what he’d just experienced, but found himself at a loss for words. He stared at the beautiful girl beneath him. Her cheeks were flushed and she had a small smile on her face.

“You don’t regret it, do you?” she asked, afraid of the answer.  
  
“Of course not, love. I’ve wanted to kiss you for awhile now.” Draco admitted.

“How long is awhile?” She smirked and he raised an eyebrow.

“Shut up and kiss me again, lightweight.”


	11. Tangled

Y/N had never liked when people would touch her hair. It made her uncomfortable. In fact, she absolutely hated it - until she had started dating a certain blond hair blue eyed boy.

The first time Draco Malfoy had touched her hair it had been a night when they were all alone in the common room. He couldn’t sleep and neither could she. He was sitting on the couch in front of the fire. She had her head in his lap and her eyes were closed. He stared down at her. Her face was the most relaxed he had seen it in the past few weeks. Her breathing was slow, but not slow enough to assume she’d finally gone to sleep.

She opened her eyes and Draco smiled down at her. His hand that was previously resting on the arm of the couch came down to touch her forehead. He ran his hand backwards and into her hair. She stiffened but didn’t move. As his hands made their way through her hair, she began to feel a little less uneasy. He kept the same rhythm and she began to get drowsy.

“Sleep well.” he whispered as she drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

The second time Draco Malfoy had touched her hair, she’d had a terrible day. She had failed three of her exams, missed lunch, and had tripped on the last step of a staircase. All she wanted was her boyfriend and she didn’t even know where to begin looking.

Luckily, she didn’t have to go far before she found the blond boy sitting on a bench outside surrounded by idiots he called friends. As soon as he saw her and the tears racing down her cheeks, he ordered his friends away and ran to meet her where she stood. His hands came to her cheeks and his eyes searched her face. Her lip trembled between her teeth.

He brushed a strand of hair away from her face. His arms wound their way around her. His right hand rested on her head and his left on her lower back to pull her as close to him as he could. Y/N cried for an hour that day. Draco let her tears wet his uniform shirt. His hand kept brushing through her hair. She paid attention to that and only that. As he did so, she calmed down. She decided that he was the only one who could run his hands through her hair.

The third time Draco Malfoy touched her hair while they were sitting in Potions class. Professor Snape was teaching the class about a Calming Draught and Y/N was trying her hardest to focus. The boy sitting next to her was distracting. His hand would travel from her inner thigh, up to her hair, and back down again.

After pushing his hand away under the desk for a fifth time, the girl became irritated. The boy rested his elbow on the table and reached for another lock of her hair. She pulled away. He frowned. Scooting closer to his girlfriend, he reached up a second time. She let him twist it around his long fingers and he let it go. He repeated this action until Snape caught him not paying attention.

“Sorry Professor. I’m just sat next to a distracting person.” he smirked. Y/N blushed, keeping her head down.

“Don’t let her be too much of a distraction then, Mr. Malfoy.” Snape snapped.

The fourth time Draco Malfoy touched her hair was more intimate than the others. They were in his dorm lying on his bed. She had been stressed about upcoming exams and he was forcing her to relax. Her head was on his chest and his hand was tangled in her H/C hair. He began lightly scratching her head and she hummed in response.

Untangling his hand, he flipped them over so he was on top of her. Her hands tangled in his hair now as his lips pressed against hers. His hands were on ether side of her shoulders.

Y/N flipped them over once more and her hands trailed down his torso. His hands tangled in her hair again. He pulled lightly and her head followed the action, exposing him to her neck. As he pressed his lips to her neck, she moaned and tangled a hand in his hair again. They were interrupted by a door slamming. Draco was highly disappointed and they decided to resume their previous position.

The fifth time Draco Malfoy ran his hands through Y/N’s hair she became curious. They sat at the Slytherin table eating breakfast. His hand had been playing with the ends of her hair since they’d entered the Great Hall. Turning towards him, she spoke.

“Why do you play with my hair all the time?”

“Why not?” he smirked.  
  
“Draco, I’m being serious. You seem to like it. I just want to know why.” she said.

“It’s soft. This sounds stupid, but it also calms me down. Like the other day in Potions, I was freaking out about the exam Snape said was coming up, so I just started to play with your hair. It smells good too.”

She laughed and kissed her boyfriend on the cheek. He smiled and rested a hand on her knee under the table. Y/N returned to her conversation with the girls sitting at her table.

The sixth -and most definitely her favorite- time Draco Malfoy ran his hands through her hair, they were alone. He’d told her to meet him on top of the Astronomy Tower. It was cold up there and she hadn’t thought to bring a jacket. Cursing, she wrapped her arms around herself and leaned on the railing of the tower. Looking up, she saw all the constellations she’d learned about already. With all of the lights from the castle out and the cloudless night, the sky was beautiful.

“Beautiful isn’t it?” Draco’s voice sounded from behind her. Turning around quickly, she smiled.  
  
“It is.” she replied. Draco tossed her a jacket and she silently thanked whomever above that Draco remembered she was forgetful.

“It’s not as beautiful as you, of course.” He winked and a blush crept up her cheeks. Wrapping her in a hug, he inhaled her scent of vanilla and expensive perfume. He kissed her temple and dragged her back over to the railing of the Astronomy Tower. Moments of silence passed, but they weren’t awkward. Y/N and Draco were comfortable with each other. They didn’t have to be talking every second of the day. He cleared his throat and spoke in a low whisper.  
  
“You’re probably wondering why I asked you to meet me here in the dead of night. It wasn’t just to look at the stars or to pay you a cheesy compliment. I need to tell you something quite important.”

“What is it?” she asked, afraid of the answer. She adjusted her position so her body was fully facing his.  
  
“You can’t laugh. It’s okay if you don’t say it back either. It’s just three words and eight letters. They’re not a big deal. Alright, maybe they are. I love you, Y/N. I always have and I always will. I just need you to know that.”

He turned and faced her. His hand automatically reached up and tangled itself in the side of her hair. His thumb rested in front of her ear and it made it’s way side to side. She leaned into his touch and smiled.

“I love you too, Draco. I always have and I always will.”

His hand pulled her closer and their lips touched for the millionth time. The sparks were the same and Y/N could get use to the familiar curve of his lips. They pulled away and their foreheads rested against each other. Their noses touched. Draco’s hand did not untangle from Y/N’s hair.

“I love you.” he repeated.

“I love _you_.” she laughed.

Y/N had decided that she wanted Draco’s hands tangled in her hair for the rest of her life.


	12. Something New

This was the fourth time that Y/N had had to repeat her seventh year of Hogwarts. She was miserable. Seventh years constantly taunted her for having to repeat so many times. Thankfully, she’d made friends with a certain platinum blond this year. Scorpius Malfoy had made her life a lot easier. He was kind, gentle, and the exact opposite of what she’d heard his father was like.

It was winter break and Y/N was dreading going home. Her parents and the rest of her family were very disappointed in her. Repeating her seventh year wasn’t exactly normal for a Y/L/N. They were smart - usually at the top of their class and ahead of everyone else. Y/N did not fit into that category at all. She’d be lucky if she passed this year.

Scorpius, Y/N, and their friend, Albus, were on the train ride back home when the Y/L/N family owl pecked on the window. Y/N opened the large window, fed the owl a treat, and watched as it took off again. She ripped open the letter and her eyes roamed over the words.  
  
 _Don’t bother coming home. You’re a disgrace to the family name and we’ve had enough._

Tears sprang to her eyes. She knew this was coming, but she’d assumed it wouldn’t be until the year was over. Scorpius looked away from the window in alarm when he heard a sob.

“Y/N? Are you okay? What’d that letter say?” he asked.

“I-I-I can’t go home. They s-s-said don’t bother coming h-home. What am I gonna do? I don’t h-have any p-p-p-place to stay.”

Her hands covered her face. This was embarrassing. She was twenty one and crying in front of two sixteen year olds. She didn’t have a home to go to when the train stopped. Maybe she could catch the train back to Hogwarts. Was that possible?

“Maybe I can ask my dad if he’ll let you stay with us. I’m sure he won’t mind.” Scorpius offered. His hand rubbed her back. She was more of a mother figure to him than a best friend and it killed him to see her cry.

“I could ask my dad if his dad says no. We’ll figure something out. It’ll be okay, Y/N!” Albus said and stretched in the small compartment.

Y/N’s tears slowed and she smiled at the two kind boys. She nodded her head and excused herself to the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, she cleaned up her makeup smudges and fixed them. There was a plan and if both of their fathers said no, she’d figure it out. It wasn’t like she had no money. She had plenty thanks to her last name. If she could get to Gringotts in time, she’d be able to pull money out before she was banned from their family vault. As the train slowed, she made her way back to the compartment to gather her things.

“Scorpius, I think I’m just going to head to Diagon Alley. I don’t want to intrude.” Y/N mumbled. Scorpius clung to Y/N.  
  
“Wait! Just meet my father first, please. I promise he’s not as bad as everyone says he is. That’s why you don’t want to stay, isn’t it? Just meet him first!” Scorpius pleaded. Y/N hesitated but before she could speak, Draco Malfoy approached the two. Scorpius hugged his dad and Y/N felt awkward.  
  
“Dad, I have someone I’d like you to meet.” Scorpius boasted. Draco raised an eyebrow towards the girl. He noticed her teeth tugging at her lip and the red color creeping up her cheeks. Draco stuck his hand out.

“Draco Malfoy.” She caught his hand with hers for a moment before quickly letting go.   
  
“Y/F/N Y/L/N.” she replied and looked around the crowded station.  
  
“Ah. Wise choice, Scorpius.” Draco laughed. Scorpius shook his head back and forth violently.  
  
“It’s not like that! We’re just friends! She’s more of a mother figure to me than anything. She’s _twenty one, Dad._ ” Scorpius explained.   
  
“ _Oh.”_ Draco mumbled.   
  
“Yeah, well, I should be going-“ she tried to escape but Scorpius interrupted.

“She doesn’t have a place to stay over the break. She didn’t know before we left. Can she stay with us please?”  
  
“What about your family? Won’t they miss you? Why aren’t you staying with them?”   
  
“They disowned her.”  
  
“Ah, well, Malfoy Manor is always open. You’re welcome to stay.” Draco suggested. What did she have to lose? At least this way, she would have a place to sleep and food in her stomach. She nodded and took off for a long winter break with the Malfoys.

* * *

The first week went by in a blur. She stayed in the guest room for the most of it. She didn’t eat much and she rarely saw Draco or Scorpius. The day of Christmas Eve, she’d decided she’d had enough of being depressed.

As she walked through the Manor, she was sure she would get lost. She made her way through the twists and turns of the house, noting how many windows there were and how it didn’t seem as dark as some people had described it. As she rounded a corner, she ran into Scorpius.   
  
“Oh, hey Y/N! I’m headed to Albus’ for the day, would you like to come?” he asked and she shook her head.  
  
“No, I’m alright. Tell him I said hello though.” she replied and hugged the boy goodbye.  
  
“Okay, I will! Would you mind spending time with my dad tonight? He seems to be a little sad lately and I think it would do him good to have some adult company. I think he needs another person to talk to besides me.”

Y/N nodded reluctantly. She could see that it meant a lot to Scorpius. Maybe she could get to know _the_ Draco Malfoy better. He did raise a decent son. He couldn’t be half as bad as everyone said he was.

As she made her way down for dinner, she couldn’t help but be nervous. She was alone with Draco. Draco didn’t have the best reputation and she was anxious as to what she could possibly talk about with a former Death Eater.

The two sat in silence as they ate. Draco watched as she stole glances at him every few seconds. She was nervous and Draco could understand why. He wasn’t known for his niceness. He was known for who he was as a boy - a misunderstood boy. He had no choice and not many people could recognize that.

She finished before he did and he was prepared to stop her before she left, but she never did. Instead, she sat across from him fidgeting in her seat.

“When’s Scorpius coming back?” Y/N asked. Her voice sounded quiet in the large space.

“Later on tonight, I believe.” he answered. His blue-grey eyes locked with her E/C ones.  
  
“Oh. Well, I could stay down here and maybe we could get to know each other better? Scorpius is great and all, but I _am_ an adult. I should have some adult friends.” she laughed. Draco smiled. Her laugh sounded like a melody he wanted to hear for the rest of his life.

“I understand. I don’t have many adult friends myself.” he smirked. Getting up from his chair, he made the long journey to her. He held out a hand and she gladly took it. She followed him to their sitting room.

As the night dragged on, Y/N got to know Draco as more than the boy who became a Death Eater. She found out his favorite color was green. He didn’t like his tea too hot, but he couldn’t drink it cold either. His favorite smell was vanilla or peppermint. When Astoria passed, he had trouble getting over it, but decided that she wouldn’t die in vain. He became a changed man and he raised Scorpius the exact opposite of how he was raised. She learned that Scorpius and Draco were very close.

She opened up to Draco. He found out that her favorite color was Y/F/C. She had just met Scorpius this year when he defended her against a few seventh years. She told him that she had always had trouble with school. He found out that she had a habit of playing with her hair or biting her nails when she was nervous. When she felt overwhelmed, she liked to sit in the quiet and remind herself that everything was temporary. And finally, she opened up about her family and how they were disappointed that a Y/L/N had to repeat her seventh year of Hogwarts four times. Draco found out that the only reason she wasn’t passing was because of her struggle with Potions. She could never get anything just _quite_ right.

“If you ever need help, I’m always available. I was a master at Potions back in my day, you know.” he smirked at the girl sitting next to him on the couch. She laughed.

“So I’ve heard. Scorpius isn’t too bad either. I should just ask him.” she yawned.

“He is only sixteen, Y/N. I guarantee I know more than my son does.”  
  
“Oh, really? Interesting point, Draco.”

Draco hesitantly threw his around around the back of the couch while he chuckled. Y/N stiffened, noticing the arm behind her. Yawning again, her eyes drifted shut. She leaned into Draco as she drifted off to sleep. Draco’s head rested on top of the twenty one year old’s as he too fell asleep.

As Scorpius Malfoy snuck quietly back into Malfoy Manor, he rounded the corner to let his father know he was home. He crept towards the fireplace, but froze when he saw the two adults asleep on the couch. Grinning, he backed out of the room. His plan had worked. Maybe they wouldn’t have to be a broken family for much longer.


	13. Taking Sides (part one)

“We shouldn’t be doing this.” the girl panted as she pulled away from the platinum blonde in front of her. 

“I know.” he replied. His hands traveled up the Y/H’s shirt. Draco’s lips had attached themselves to her jaw and were making their way down her neck. Y/N moaned. 

“Draco, we’re going to be late if we-“  
Draco’s lips returned to hers, interrupting the girl in front of him. Her back was pressed against the wall of the supply closet and Draco’s body towered over her small frame. Her hands made their way down to his chest and lightly pushed him away. As she grabbed her bag from the floor, it was clear to Draco that she meant business.

“You know if you’d just tell Potter we’re dating, we wouldn’t have to sneak around and make out in supply closets. I’d also like to show you off every once in awhile. You are my girlfriend.” he said. 

“I know, babe. I’m sorry. I just know he’d freak if he found out. He already hates that you and I are friends. Who knows what would happen if he found out that we’re dating?” she responded. Draco frowned and shook his head up and down.

“I just want Potter to know he has no chance with you.”  
Y/N smirked before tucking her shirt back in and straightening her tie. Pulling the door open, she turned around to wink at the boy before heading off to their next class. Draco stood in the closet. He was a little annoyed. Why wouldn’t she just suck it up? If he was willing to say he was exclusive with someone who was a friend of Potter, why couldn’t she have him be upset with her for awhile? She was Draco’s after all.  
Lunch couldn’t come fast enough. The more Draco thought about it, the more upset he got. She was his girlfriend and he should be able to kiss her and spoil her without worrying about who would find out. Draco decided that he wouldn’t confront her in front of everyone. He’d give her the silent treatment until she’d decided she’d had enough.  
He heard her before he saw her. She was walking with Harry Potter and his little group of misfits. Potter had apparently said something funny and Y/N’s laugh echoed through the hallway. Draco was pissed. He was the one who was supposed to be making her laugh like that. He was the one who was supposed to be walking that close to her. As he drew near the group, rage filled him. His shoulder bumped into hers, knocking her to the side. 

“Are you serious, Malfoy?” she shouted after his retreating frame. He was halfway down the hallway and he stopped. Spinning on his heels, he walked towards the girl. 

“Yes, Y/N. I’m serious.”

“Why’d you shoulder check me? What’s your issue?”

“My issue is you and these filthy so called friends of yours!” he yelled.  
He was close to her now. He could hear her shape intake of breath and when she released a breath right after that. Draco could smell the perfume she’d put on today. He could smell the mint of the toothpaste she’d used this morning. He heard the click of her tongue before she spoke.  
“Draco Malfoy, I’m not sure who you think you are, but I suggest that you back off of my friends and me before I shove your face through a wall. Now, if you don’t mind, my friends and I are going to eat lunch like normal civilized people. Enjoy your lunch as well, Malfoy.”  
Y/N made her way past him making sure her shoulder bumped his. Draco stood there, seething. What was wrong with her? Why did she want to enjoy Potter’s company instead of her boyfriend’s? He watched as she sauntered away with the rest of the group. He tugged at his hair. Letting out a loud sigh, he immediately regretted bumping into her. Draco figured she was probably pissed at him and decided to wait until she’d cooled off to find her.  
Y/N regretted yelling at Draco as well. He didn’t attend lunch and she was worried about him. She understood why he was upset. They’d been dating for a year and a half and they still weren’t exclusive - all because she was friends with Harry Potter. Currently, she was walking the halls looking for Draco. She wanted to apologize for yelling at him and for all of the tension that seemed to be between them lately.  
As she walked past a bathroom on the fourth floor, a hand reached out and pulled her in. Lips attached to her neck as she was pressed against a wall. Y/N squealed and pushed the boy away from. Her E/C eyes met blue-grey ones and she sighed in relief. Draco’s hands intertwined with hers. His head leaned down and their noses were touching. His eyes closed.

“I’m sorry.” He offered. He placed a kiss on her nose, then her cheek. 

“It’s alright. I understand. You’re upset.” she replied.

Y/N smiled, untangled their hands, and pulled Draco by the back of his neck so his lips met hers. Draco’s hands made their way to sit on her hips. She felt a shiver run up her spine as his lips trailed down to a spot on her neck he knew all too well would drive her crazy. Y/N’s small hands tangled in Draco’s platinum hair. His hips pushed against hers as their lips met again.

She pulled away as she heard a noise. Draco’s hands came up to rest on the wall on either side of her head. It was a wonder either of them heard it considering they’d been so busy. Draco put a finger to his lips signaling for her to be quiet. His eyes narrowed. His hand reached to grab his wand and he spun around quickly. Y/N heard whomever it was in front of Draco clear their throat. 

“Oh. It’s just you, Malfoy. Figures. Of course you’d be snogging a girl in the boy’s toilet. Don’t let me stop you though. You seemed to be eating that poor girl’s face off. Speaking of, who is that?” the voice spoke. Y/N’s hands came to cover her face. Of course this would happen like this.  
“None of your business, Potter.” Draco spat. He made no move to lower his wand. 

“Yes, but, you see, I’m just curious as to who would snog y- wait. Y/N, is that you?” Harry asked. Draco’s body stepped to the right, concealing his girlfriend more. He didn’t like that they couldn’t be exclusive, but he wasn’t about to make her life harder. Making the boldest decision she’d made that day, she stepped out from behind Draco. 

“Yes, it’s me. Look, I know you’re going to be disappointed and I get it. You all think Draco is this bad kid. Everyone thinks he’s a git - which he is sometimes - and that he’s evil. I promise you he’s not. He seems tough on the exterior and - God, Draco is going to kill me for this - it seems as though he’s not capable of love, but he is! I know he is. If people would just give him a chance and get through his git exterior, you’d see that he’s not so bad!” Y/N defended. 

She took a deep breath as Harry processed this information. A few minutes of silence passed and then Harry began laughing. Y/N cocked an eyebrow. She crossed her arms.  
“If you think he’s capable of love, then you’re wrong. He’s not. His heart is black and it always will be. No one gives him a chance because he’s a bad person, Y/N. If you honestly think he’s a good person that’s capable of love, then you’re an even bigger git than I thought you were. Don’t talk to me anymore. Our friendship is through. You’ve chosen your side.” Harry said.

“Don’t talk to my girlfriend like that, scarhead!” Draco shouted and Y/N grabbed the arm holding his wand before he could shout a spell. 

“Don’t tell me what to do, Malfoy! She chose her side! Now, if you’ll both excuse me, I have a class to get to.” Harry turned on his heel, walking out of the bathroom and out of Y/N’s life.

Burying her head into her boyfriend’s chest, she cried until she couldn’t cry anymore. At least she still had Draco Malfoy.


	14. Taking Sides (part two)

The next few weeks were hard for Y/N. She’d gone from splitting her time between Draco and Harry to hanging out with Draco all the time. Being around Draco also meant that she had to put up with Draco’s friends as well. She didn’t mind them though. They’d all been really nice to her . She had a suspicion that Draco may or may not have threatened them.

Draco had done really well with the whole situation. He’d quickly adapted to having her cling to him all the time. She had become very clingy since her fight with Harry Potter. If Draco was in the common room, Y/N was in the common room. If Draco was in the Great Hall, Y/N was in the Great Hall. If Draco was on the Quidditch pitch, Y/N was watching him from the stands.

Her boyfriend had also become very over protective of her. He’d walk closer to her in the halls - as if that were possible. He’d sit so close to her during classes and meals, that’d she’d had to tell him multiple times that he was making her claustrophobic. His hands were always on her - whether it be that he was holding her hand or had an arm around her shoulders or he was touching her thigh in class. He felt like he had to protect her because she’d been so upset as of late.

That was another thing. They had become _very_ public since Harry had found out about them dating. She had told Draco there was no reason to hide it anymore. He was ecstatic at first, but Y/N was still upset about her fight with Harry, so Draco became less excited. People were surprised for a few days until there was new gossip and no one had really talked about Y/N and Draco since.

Draco was upset that Y/N was upset. He was trying his hardest to be there for her, but she seemed to be becoming more and more distant. She was still clingy, but she didn’t say much anymore. He wanted to help, but that might mean he’d have to put aside his differences with Harry and tell him that he was, in fact, being stupid. He wouldn’t have to be too nice, but he didn’t want Y/N to be so upset anymore.  
  
Draco found Harry sitting in the library. Thankfully, he seemed to be the only one in there - hovering over a book and his black hair falling into his face. Draco sneered. He really didn’t want to be civil with this boy - not only had he been a git to Draco, but he’d been mean to Y/N as well. Draco hated it when he was the one to blame for one of Y/N’s problems.   
  
“Potter.” he said, sitting down in the chair across from him. Harry looked up from his book in surprise. His face quickly turned into a frown. He closed his book.   
  
“What do you want, Malfoy? I’m not in the mood for you. I have a really big exam coming up and I’d rather study than listen to you insult me.” Harry snapped.   
  
“Look, I don’t want to be talking you any more than you want to be talking to me, you big git. Let me say what I have to say and then I’ll leave you alone. I’m not here for myself anyways. I’m here because I needed to tell you that you’ve got to get over yourself. Y/N is so upset that you two aren’t friends anymore. She doesn’t talk much anymore and she doesn’t eat a lot either. I’m worried about her. If you ever really cared about her, you’d fix whatever problem it is that you have with her and-“  
  
“My problem is that she’s dating _you_ , Malfoy.” Harry interrupted. She doesn’t need that kind of person in her life. She deserves so much better than you. Also, she’s made her choice pretty clear of who she’d rather stay friends with.”

“So what you’re telling me is that you never really cared about her anyways. Give me a chance. Obviously I’m doing something right considering we’ve been dating for a year and a half. If I was bad for her and I didn’t treat her well, don’t you think she’d have broken up with me by now? She’s a smart girl.”  
  
“Is she really that upset? I didn’t think I meant that much to her.”  
  
“If you were any more oblivious, you’d be Crabbe. She obviously cared about you. You were friends. Just - just think about it. alright? Apologize to her at the least. Give her closure on whatever weird friendship you two had.” Draco suggested. He got up and walked out the library to find his girlfriend.   
  
It wasn’t very hard to find Y/N these days, she was either in her dorm room or by Draco’s side. He knocked on her door before entering. She was sat on the edge of her bed. She was crying and she looked exhausted. Draco quickly sat next to her and pulled her into him. He’d find her like this often. The same thing was always wrong - Harry Potter. It annoyed Draco and it made him jealous, but he put aside his feelings for his girlfriend.   
  
The next few weeks, Harry spent time purposely following the couple around. He’d keep his distance so they wouldn’t notice. As much as Harry didn’t want to admit it, Draco was actually really sweet to her. He made sure she ate and he always had his hands on her - in more of a protective way than a display of affection. He always told her she was beautiful before they went to class. Draco was nicer to her than he was to anyone else. Harry has been so convinced that Draco didn’t have a nice bone in his body. He’d been so _sure_ that Draco wasn’t capable of love, but he was. Harry had been wrong and he finally realized it the day he found Draco and Y/N in a corner of a hallway.

Y/N was backed into the corner and Draco was standing in front of her. He was so much taller than Y/N that Harry hadn’t even seen her at first. Their hands were intertwined and she was looking down while Draco stared at her. They were speaking quietly and Harry hid behind a statue so he could hear better.  
  
“I mean, I guess you’re right. It’s life. It happens. We lose friends and we gain friends. Everything happens for a reason, I don’t need to dwell on something that happened in the past. I can’t change how Harry feels about the two of us, but I can change how I’m handling the situation. I don’t need to be depressed because I have everything I could ever want with you Draco Malfoy - a best friend and a boyfriend. You’re so good to me.” Y/N said quietly. She looked up and Draco kissed her nose.   
  
“Of course, love. You mean everything to me. I just want to make you happy. I know it sucks losing a friend and I’m sorry. But really, it’s his loss. He’s missing out on an amazing friend and an even more amazing girl.” Draco said. She smiled and they kissed.   
  
Harry felt stupid. He should’ve been thinking of Y/N. He should’ve thought about the fact that Draco obviously made her happy and what Harry thought of him shouldn’t matter. What did matter was that Y/N was content with Draco. Sure, Harry didn’t like him and he still didn’t think that he had the best intentions, but friendship was more important to Harry. Love was more important than hate.

Later that day, he was able to catch Y/N alone. She was standing outside of the boy’s bathroom - probably waiting for Draco. She avoided eye contact as she saw him and she frowned. He was the last person she wanted to see right now. She’d just accepted the fact that they weren’t going to be friends anymore and here he was, making his way towards her like nothing was wrong.  
  
“If you’re here to yell at me, you can just keep walking. I’m not interested in what you have to say about me or my boyfriend.” Y/N stated harshly.   
  
“No, I- I came to apologize. I was wrong. He treats you well and I had no idea that he was even capable of that.” Harry mumbled.   
  
“Oh.” she whispered. Draco appeared as if out of nowhere.   
  
“Is everything alright, love?” he asked as he put an arm around her. She nodded.  
  
“You don’t have to accept my apology. I just want you to know I’m sorry and that I’d like to be friends again if you’re okay with that. I don’t care who you’re dating. Your friendship means more to me than that.” Harry said.  
  
“I accept your apology and I’d like to be friends again too. Thanks for apologizing.” she smiled. Harry nodded and turned to head off in the other direction, but stopped and spun around to face the two again.  
  
“And by the way,” he yelled down the hall. “If you hurt her Malfoy, I will not hesitate to curse you!”


	15. Work It Out

“Don’t fucking touch me, Draco! I swear on my life I will knock you out. Let me go!” Y/N shouted. She ignored the stares of her schoolmates as Draco let go of her arm. She rushed out of the Great Hall.   
  
“Babe, stop being so dramatic! You’re over reacting.” Draco kept his tone low and steady. She didn’t speak again until they had made their way to the court yard.  
  
“I _saw_ you with Astoria yesterday. I’m not stupid and I’m most certainly not blind.” Her arms were crossed and her hip was cocked to the side. Draco crossed his arms as well and stood across from her.   
  
“ _What_ are you talking about? You’re the one that didn’t show up to our study date last night!” he shouted and she rolled her eyes.  
  
“Yes. I’m aware. I was on my way there last night and I turned the corner to see you hovering over a girl a year younger than you! Draco, what was I supposed to think? You guys looked pretty cozy to me!”  
  
‘Why are you being so fucking insecure? I love you and only you. She needed help finding something in her textbook so I helped her. It was no big deal.”  
  
“Maybe we should take a break.” Y/N whispered. Draco frowned and made his way towards the girl in front of him. She took a step back, her arms still crossed.   
  
“Are you breaking up with me?” he asked. She took a deep breath in and out. Draco’s breathing became shallow and his hands began to shake.   
  
“Yes. I can’t do this anymore. I’m sorry.” Her voice shook like his hands and she walked away.

The more Draco thought about it, the madder he got. Who was she to break up with the Slytherin prince? He should be breaking up with her. She had been so insecure in their relationship lately. Y/N had been jealous of every female he’d come into contact with in the last week whether it was Pansy, Astoria, or Millicent. If she wanted to be jealous, he would show her jealousy. And she wasn’t going to like it one bit.   
  
The next day, Draco walked side by side with Astoria. Their hands brushed passed each other every once in awhile. Draco liked it, but not as much as he did when it was Y/N’s small hand that brushed by his. As they came to a stop in the Great Hall, Draco’s blue eyes met Y/N’s E/C ones. He smirked and put his hand on the small of Astoria’s back. Leading her through the crowd, they came to a halt at their usual table. Draco sat down while Y/N stood up.   
  
She could barely see through the tears forming in her eyes. Her hands shook and she gripped the table to try and steady them. Forcing herself away from the wondering eyes, she quickly walked out of the Great Hall. So she was right. He _did_ have something going on with Astoria. Why didn’t he just break up with her? Why would he keep their relationship going if he’d fallen for another girl? Had he wanted _her_ to break up with _him_?

Walking into her dorm room, the tears flowed freely down her face. The more she cried, the angrier she got. Her hands ran through her hair and pulled lightly. She walked over to her night stand and picked up the picture of her and Draco. Sitting on her bed, she let the tears hit the picture frame. After looking at it for a few moments, she threw it across her room. The cracking of glass echoed through the empty room. How could she have been so stupid? Did Draco love her at all? Ever?   
  
Standing up, she went through the drawers of her night stand and cleared out everything that belonged to him. A notebook. Crumpled notes he’d passed her in class. A necklace he’d given her in their second year. Letters he’d written to her when he first fell in love with her. His Defense Against the Dark Arts book he’d left in her room. She threw each item across the room. She didn’t care what it hit. Y/N didn’t care that she was making a mess of the room that had just been cleaned this morning.   
  
She made her way to her closet. She tore Draco’s three hoodies off of her hangers and crumpled them all into individual balls. She threw those across the room as well. The tears came faster now. She slid down the wall, covering her mouth with her hand. She wasn’t sad. She was angry - with herself more than Draco. She felt like she’d been played; as though this was all just a game to him. Did her feelings even matter to him? She let herself continue to cry.   
  
Hearing footsteps outside of her door, she quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her shirt sleeve. Watching the doorknob turn, she felt helpless. The room was a complete mess and so was she. Expecting it to be one of the girls she shared a dorm with, she hung her head. The footsteps became louder as they came closer. Someone slid down next to her. Her head snapped up to see a platinum haired boy sat next to her.   
  
“What are you doing here? Y/N whispered. Her voice was hoarse and sounded small.  
  
“You left before you finished breakfast. I gave you a few moments and then I came after you. You seemed upset. I do still care about you.” he sighed. They stared straight ahead, afraid of making eye contact with the other. Accepting that he wasn’t leaving any time soon, she didn’t say anything else. The pair sat in silence until Draco spoke again.  
  
“We’re not a very stable couple, are we?”  
  
“I broke up with you. We’re not a couple. We’re not together anymore. You made that loud and clear this morning,”   
  
“Hm.” Draco hummed. It was silent for a few more moments.   
  
**“Did you ever love me? Or was it all an act?”** Y/N mumbled and looked at her hands resting in her lap. Draco was stunned. Did she really think he didn’t love her? That he wouldn’t do absolutely _anything_ for her?  
  
“I did love you. I _still_ love you. I was pissed when you broke up with me yesterday. You make me feel things I’ve never felt before. When I’m with you, no one else matters. As long as you’re holding my hand, I feel like I can conquer the world.” he responded. Y/N was shocked. Draco was never one for expressing his feelings and it seemed out of character for him.   
  
“Let’s say you do actually love me… what were you doing with Astoria this morning?” Y/N’s arms wrapped around her torso, suddenly feeling insecure.  
  
“I was trying to make you jealous. Seemed to work though, didn’t it, love?” he laughed, wrapping an arm around the girl. She mumbled something incoherent and Draco placed a kiss on the top of her head. Her eyebrows came together.   
  
“I’m sorry I broke up with you. I should have looked at the situation like I’m not a crazy person. Thanks for dealing with my crazy.” she offered.   
  
“No need to apologize. I figured we’d work it out. We always do.”


	16. Love at First Sight

Draco didn’t think he was the jealous type. In fact, he had everything he had ever wanted - or so he thought. Draco wasn’t aware of his jealous tendencies until Y/N came along. Y/N was beautiful with her H/C hair and E/C eyes. She had a good vibe about her and people genuinely enjoyed being around her.   
  
The first time he spotted her, she was bent over a textbook in the library. Her hair hung in her face. Draco could only see her profile, but he could tell she was attractive. He made his way towards the girl, but stopped in his tracks as a boy from Gryffindor sat across from her. Draco watched as she paused her reading. He studied her face now that he had a better look. If he had believed in love at first sight, he was sure this was what it would feel like. He _didn’t_ believe in that though. How could someone fall in love without even knowing anything about the other person?

Weeks passed and Draco made it his personal mission to get to know the girl better. He’d make sure to sit at a table across from her. He would purposely sit closer to her in classes. The boy was so fixed on getting to know her that Blaise had caught him staring at her one day at breakfast.   
  
“If you like her so much, just talk to her, mate. It’s not hard. I know Y/N and I could possibly introduce you two if you’d like.” Blaise suggested. Draco shook his head.  
  
“I’m not afraid to introduce myself to a girl, Blaise. I’m not incompetent. It’s just she’s always hanging around that Gryffindor _rat_. Is she dating anyone?” Draco asked casually.   
  
“Not sure. Would you like me to find out?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
By breakfast the next morning, Blaise had an answer for Draco. She wasn’t dating anyone, but she did have an eye on a certain boy in their year. Blaise begged and pleaded with her to tell him, but she wouldn’t budge. Draco was disappointed to hear that Y/N had her eye on someone, knowing it couldn’t possibly be him. He decided to step up his game. He headed to the library that Saturday to find her.  
  
Much to Draco’s pleasure, he found Y/N sitting in the library at the same table she always sat at. Much to Draco’s _displeasure_ , he found two boys sitting across from her. He sucked in a breath and continued his journey towards the table. Two idiot Gryffindors weren’t going to stop the Slytherin prince from introducing himself to a girl. Besides, she was worthy of more than a _Gryffindor._ He pulled out a chair beside her and sat.  
  
“Sorry, is this seat taken?” he asked.  
  
“No, it’s not.” Pink rose to her cheeks and she scooted her books spread across the table back towards her.   
  
“What are ya doin’ Malfoy? She doesn’t want to talk to ya.” Seamus Finnigan stood from his seat across Y/N. Dean Thomas, the other boy who had joined the two today, rose from his seat as well. Draco stayed seated, knowing very well that he was not going to leave until he at least introduced himself.   
  
“I just wanted to introduce myself,” he said, turning towards the girl beside him. “I’m Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. There will be no need to introduce yourself. I know exactly who you are.”

He winked and turned his attention back to the two boys in front of them. Seamus and Dean were staring at Draco like he’d lost his mind. Seamus took his seat once again, followed by Dean. Draco frowned. They were supposed to leave, not sit back down.

“We were going to study. Would you want to study with us?” Y/N asked. Her eyes met blue ones and she quickly looked away. He was too attractive to even glance at. He smirked. Draco shrugged. He had other things he wanted to do besides study. It _was_ a Saturday. Why stay inside when the weather was nice outside?  
  
“I was actually thinking of enjoying the weather while it’s nice. Care to join me?” he asked. He pushed out his chair and held out a hand with a confident smirk. Y/N seemed hesitant. She wanted to stay and study, but she also wanted to get to know the famous Slytherin prince better. She shook her head.  
  
“Unfortunately, I have to study for this exam coming up. Maybe some other time?” she offered. Draco’s smirk dropped. He gave a curt nod and roughly pushed his chair in. He was pissed. What did Seamus and his weird friend have over him? He was perfect. He had good grades. He didn’t get in much trouble. He was a Slytherin. What more could she want?   
  
As Draco made his way outside, he grabbed his broom and headed to the Quidditch pitch to clear his head. He flew around the grounds for awhile. The warm air hit his face and worked it’s way through his hair. He didn’t mind because lucky for him he’d stopped using hair gel awhile ago. His hands became sore from gripping the broom so tightly. His thoughts were mixed up. It wasn’t that he was jealous of Seamus and Dean. He was a Slytherin and they were Gryffindors. There was no way he was jealous of _them._

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He descended from the air. Draco put his broom away and headed back towards the school. His hope was that he’d bump into Y/N while she was alone. As soon as he returned to the school, he saw her H/C hair and familiar frame. Unfortunately, she wasn’t alone. She was with Seamus and they were walking around the courtyard.   
  
She threw her head back and laughed as Seamus said something funny. Draco felt the rage he’d felt earlier. _He_ wanted to make her laugh. _He_ wanted to walk that close to her. Draco couldn’t explain it. He didn’t even really know her, but he was obsessed from the moment he saw her. She was beautiful to him and it was a surprise when he learned that she was single. How could anyone pass up a smart and funny girl like her?   
  
Seamus and Y/N took a seat on a bench. Draco stood behind a pillar. He felt like a stalker. He didn’t _mean_ to seem like one, but if she’d just give him the time of day, he wouldn’t have to be following her around. The two sat close to each other, their knees touching. Draco decided to act on his feelings. He was confident enough in himself to walk over and stand in front of Y/N. She rose from her seat as he approached.   
  
“Hi, Draco! You were right, it _is_ nice outside. I’ve been looking for you.” she smiled and Draco felt his heart skip a beat.   
  
“You- you were?” he asked. It felt like a dumb question, but he just wanted to confirm what she’d just said.   
  
“Yes, I was looking for you. I asked around and no one’s seen you since lunch. I wanted to take you up on your offer, but you were nowhere to be found. Luckily, I ran into Seamus again and we’ve been hanging out. Would you care to join us?” She looked to Seamus and he rolled his eyes.  
  
“I’ll see ya later, Y/N. Find me when you’re done with the snake.” Seamus said and kissed her cheek. He took off in the direction of the Great Hall. Draco stared after him. Y/N glanced at Seamus retreating and then back at Draco. She smiled and waved a hand in front of Draco’s face. He flinched and turned his gaze back to Y/N. His fists were in balls and his jaw was clenched.  
  
“Are you alright?” she asked. Her hand came up to rest on his shoulder and he took a deep breath.  
  
“I’m fine.” he mumbled. She didn’t believe him and she wasn’t one to let things go.  
  
“Are you sure? You seem angry. I didn’t say anything to upset you, did I? If I did, I didn’t mean to.”   
  
“I’m just… how well do you and Seamus know each other? Are you guys friends? Or are you dating? If you’re dating, I will totally back off. You just told Blaise that-“  
  
He was interrupted by his lips on hers. His eyes closed automatically and he savored the moment. She smelled like vanilla and an expensive perfume. Her lips tasted like birthday cake lip gloss. His hands traveled to her waist. He pulled her closer to him.  
  
Her hands tangled in his hair. She couldn’t believe that she was kissing a boy she’d had a crush on since second year. They were in their fifth year now and she was surprised she’d had enough nerve to even be this close to him. He smelled of mint and fresh laundry. His lips were a bit chapped, but it was okay with her. She didn’t mind one bit. She pulled away quickly.  
  
“Sorry.” she blushed. She tried to step away, but Draco’s hands held her in place.  
  
“It’s okay. Er-“ Draco was at a loss of words for once in his life. “Like I was saying, I just feel like you and Seamus are really close and that he has a thing for you.”  
  
Y/N laughed.  
  
“He _does_ have a thing for me, Draco. But, unfortunately for him, I have a thing for someone else.” She intertwined her hands with his and smiled up at him.   
  
“Who is this someone else? Do I know him?” he smirked.  
  
Their noses were touching. Her lips met his once again and she swore it was better the second time. They pulled apart and he wrapped an arm around her as they walked around the courtyard. Draco had had no reason to be jealous. Maybe love at first sight was a thing he could believe in after all.


	17. Hold Me

It’s not like Draco Malfoy meant for any of this to happen. He was honestly just trying to make his father proud of him. He didn’t know how he’d gotten so deep into something that was bigger than himself. He was doing this for his family - for his father _and_ his mother. But it felt wrong. He hadn’t wanted to do any of what he’d done during his sixth year.

He didn’t want to do the mission he’d been assigned anymore. Draco wanted no part in it now - not since he started dating _her._ Her with the long h/c hair. Her with the e/c eyes. Her that he craved when he was alone in the Room of Requirement. Her that he wanted when he darted into Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom in a panic. He wanted her _now_.

He’d just left the Slytherin common room. His intention was to find Y/N. Draco wanted to confess everything to her - he wasn’t sure why. Maybe he thought that since she was so smart that she could figure out how to get him out of the mess he’d made. Maybe he just need some confirmation that he was doing the right thing - that he was protecting his family. Or maybe he just wanted her to hold him and not say anything.

Making his way through the halls, he asked around if people had seen Y/N. They all shook their heads and Draco continued to the Great Hall. Surely she would be there, eating dinner or talking with Pansy Parkinson. As he stepped through the Great Hall, he made his way towards where she usually sat. He stopped in his tracks as soon as he realized Katie Bell was back. He had accidentally cursed her earlier in the year. Again, he didn’t mean for it to happen, but it _did._ She was talking to Harry Potter.

Suddenly, Draco’s tie seemed too tight. His shirt seemed to be too small- so small that it felt as though it were suffocating him. He was hot. Sweat had accumulated on his forehead. He became aware of his own too fast heartbeat. Draco felt as if everyone was staring at him. He loosened his tie and turned on his heel. He couldn’t deal with this right now. He all but ran to the bathroom he was so accustomed to crying in. _He wanted Y/N._ She’d know what to do. She’d help him calm down. But the more he thought, the more he didn’t want her to find him like this.

Draco rushed to a sink, tears streaming down his face. He pulled his tie off, along with his sweater vest he’d been wearing over his button up shirt. Undoing the top few buttons, he turned the water on. He looked himself over in the mirror. He was disgusted. He’d become a person he wasn’t proud of - rather someone that _Y/N_ wouldn’t be proud of. He splashed water on his face and turned as he heard a noise behind him.

He expected it to be the “savior”, Harry Potter, there to interrogate him. He was wrong. It was the one person Draco had thought he wanted to see, but he didn’t want to see her while he seemed so broken. He wasn’t ready to share an emotional side of him with her - although he’d seemed so set on it only thirty minutes before. Draco changed his mind often and Y/N had continuously told him she wished he’d make a decision and stick to it. Draco closed his eyes and his head hung low over the sink. A sob escaped his lips.  
  
Y/N didn’t know what to do. This was a side of Draco she’d never seen before now - and she’d known him for five years. His sobs came quicker and louder. She stood where she was, frozen. Her heart ached because she wished she could help him somehow - with whatever it was. She hesitantly took three long strides and put a hand on Draco’s shoulder. She was surprised as Draco turned around. His blue eyes met her e/c ones. His eyes seemed more blue now than they ever had. Draco’s eyes were glossy with tears that threatened to keep felling.

Turning the sink off, she grabbed Draco’s hand. She led them to the back of the bathroom and made him sit. She sat next to him, their knees touching. Y/N had no idea how to comfort Draco but she felt like she had to do _something._   
  
They did this when _she_ cried. Draco would take her to a secluded spot, he’d make her sit, and he’d let her cry it out. He wouldn’t ask questions and he wouldn’t touch her unless she made the first move. This was what Y/N intended on doing. However, she couldn’t just sit there while Draco seemed to be in so much pain. She took a deep breath.  
  
“I’m not going to ask you if you’re okay. Obviously, you’re not. I wasn’t even planning on talking, but, er, **do you want me to leave?”** she asked and played with her shoelace.   
  
Draco was split into two different emotions. He wanted her to stay with him and tell him everything was going to be okay. He didn’t have to tell her anything. He could just sit here and cry it out and she wouldn’t ask a single question. Draco also wanted her to leave. He was embarrassed. He’d never shown so much emotion in front of her. He was emotional in the romantic sense of things, but he’d never _cried_ in front of her, or anyone for that matter. Draco shook his head to clear his thoughts.   
  
**“Please don’t ask me that.”** he mumbled.  
  
“What does that even mean? Draco, babe, you’ve got to start talking to me. You’ve _got_ to open up. I know something is wrong with you. You’ve been so weird and distant since the year started. You don’t have to tell me everything… I’m just really worried about you.”   
  
The tears returned to Draco’s eyes.  
  
“Just hold me, please.” he said and buried his face in the crook of her neck.  
  
Her arms wrapped around him. She rubbed soothing circles on his back as he sobbed. She wanted so badly to help him, but she couldn’t if he didn’t want to talk about it. The night dragged on and eventually Draco’s sobs turned into soft snores. He would open up when he was ready and Y/N was more than okay with that - as long as they still had each other in the end. That’s what really mattered.


	18. Something More

Draco Malfoy didn’t exactly hate _everyone_. There were a few people he could stand - such as Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini - but there was also someone he hated just as much as he hated Harry Potter. Her name was Y/N and everything she did irritated him.

Her hair was the perfect shade of H/C and her eyes always seemed to match her mood. Her robes were always clean. She had teeth as white as snow. She was almost _too_ perfect and it bothered Draco. He couldn’t find one single flaw with her. Y/N was even better at Potions than he was. When he wasn’t complaining about Potter, he was complaining about Y/N.

It was a beautiful sunny day and Draco and his crew of friends were headed to their favorite hang out spot - the big tree by the lake. Apparently, they weren’t the only ones who enjoyed sitting beneath the beautiful tree because there was a girl sitting there as they approached. Draco frowned as he saw who it was. Why did she always seem to be where he was?

Her hair was down and the light, warm breeze blew a bit in front of her face. Her head was angled down. A book rested in her lap and her legs were stretched out in front of her. Draco narrowed his eyes.   
  
“What are _you_ doing here?” he sneered as he came to a stop in front of the girl. His friends crossed their arms and stood behind him.  
  
“What does it look like genius?” she asked, not looking up from her book.   
  
“This is our spot. We come hang out over here when it’s nice out and we don’t need people like _you_ hanging around.”  
  
“I can hang out wherever I’d like to, Malfoy. I don’t see your name written anywhere. Besides, we can all hang out here in peace. You guys hang out over there, and I’ll stay here. It’s simple, really.”  
  
“You think you’re so smart, don’t you?” Draco snapped.   
  
He was angry. People usually didn’t challenge him and this was just another reason to hate her. He snatched the book from her hands. He held it above his head with a smirk. She looked up at him with a fire in her eyes. Standing up, she reached two hands out and shoved him. Draco stumbled, but caught his balance before he could go any further.   
  
“You are so _frustrating,_ Malfoy. You think that just because your family has money that you can go around treating people like they’re below you, but you’re wrong! You’re not any better than the rest of us! You’re actually _worse_ because you’re _mean_ and _arrogant_. No wonder you don’t have many friends!” she shouted.   
  
Draco dropped the book to his side. She snatched it from his hand and turned on her heel to leave. Before she could though, Pansy snatched her arm.  
  
“Why do you think that you can talk to us like that? Maybe you should be taught a lesson. I heard a rumor that you can’t swim, we should see if that’s true.” Pansy smirked and dragged her to the water.   
  
“Pansy, don’t.” Draco muttered, but he wasn’t heard.   
  
Pansy was too busy forcing Y/N into the lake. She kept advancing on her as Y/N backed further into the dark lake. Y/N stopped suddenly, realizing she didn’t have to take this. Moving around Pansy, she made her way back out of the lake. Pansy had another idea however. Pulling out her wand, she cast a spell that they’d learned in their second year. Y/N flew through the air and into a deep part of the lake.   
  
She screamed as she hit the water. Her book fell out of her hands. She started kicking her legs hard. Her arms flailed. In the distance, she could hear Pansy’s loud annoying laughter. Y/N was struggling to keep her head above the water. She started choking on the salty substance and she couldn’t help the tears that fell from her eyes.   
  
Was this how her life was going to end? Because she couldn’t swim? Her body was becoming tired and she couldn’t keep her head above the water for much longer. She felt her eyes drift shut as her breathing slowed and she slipped beneath the surface of the water. 

* * *

Y/N struggled to open her eyes. She could hear feet shuffling across a floor. She could feel soft sheets beneath her. There was something warm against her hand. Something tickled the back of it and she forced her eyes open.   
  
She looked down in the direction of the warmth. She narrowed her eyes and second guessed herself as she saw a pile of platinum hair against her side. Her hand was held in his. He was asleep and his mouth was slightly open, his eyebrows furrowed. Why was Draco Malfoy holding her hand and more importantly how did she get here? She slipped her hand out of his and shoved his shoulder. He woke with a start.  
  
“What are you doing here? How’d I get here?” Y/N sneered. Draco yawned.  
  
“I brought you here. I wanted to make sure you were okay. You almost drowned in the lake today.” he mumbled and stretched his long limbs out. Y/N chose to ignore the soothing sound of his sleepy voice.  
  
“Why’d you bring me here? How?”  
  
“I went in after you. That was really messed up of Pansy to do. I’m sorry she’s such a prat.”  
  
“Okay, so why are you here, Malfoy?”  
  
“You’re not going to even thank me? How pretentious.”  
  
“I’m pretentious? Are you serious? I was asking why you were here because you hate me. I hate you. It’s simple. We don’t like each other. Leave.” she said and slowly sat up. Draco stayed where he was seated. He leaned forward and looked into her beautiful E/C eyes.  
  
“I don’t hate you - quite the opposite in fact. I think I really like you. I was just so pissed because you’re perfect and you seem to have all your shit together. You don’t even give me a second glance. You never talk to me - other than insults. So I figured that I’d be mean to you because if I was mean enough to you, maybe I’d end up getting over you. I’m sorry - I really am. I’m the world’s biggest git. I know.”

Y/N’s jaw dropped. This was really unexpected. She’d never heard Draco be nice to anyone - let alone confess that he _was_ , in fact, the biggest git to ever exist.

“Draco, I thought _you_ hated _me_. That’s why I was so mean and sarcastic towards you. You seemed to always have an insult waiting for me. I was pissed at myself because I had all of these feelings for you even though you treated me like shit.” she confessed.

It was quiet for several moments before Draco stood up and sat on the edge of the hospital bed. He reached out his hand and caressed her cheek. She leaned into his touch and closed her eyes. Draco smiled softly.   
  
“Do you think we could try this?” he asked hesitantly. She smiled and reached up to intertwine her fingers with his.   
  
“I think we should try and be friends first. We can’t go from fake hating each other to being in a relationship. We don’t even know each other that well. That’d be weird.” she laughed and Draco nodded.  
  
“Alright… and then maybe we could be something more?” Draco smirked.  
  
“We’ll see where it takes us.”


	19. Unexpected

Draco Malfoy and Y/F/N Y/L/N weren’t a couple, but they weren’t just friends either. They’d made out in broom closets several times. They’d had several moments to themselves where sweet words were exchanged, but neither wanted to be in a relationship - so they weren’t.

They stuck close to each other and if one didn’t know any better, they assumed they were dating. Draco’s hand was always on the small of Y/N’s back. She always walked as close to him as possible. He was always whispering in her ear. Their legs were always entangled under the dining tables or desks. His hand was in her hair more often than not. On the weekends, they could be found cuddling on the couch in the Slytherin common room or hanging out by the Quidditch pitch.

Although all of these seemed like “couple” things to do, neither one would admit it. Y/N would never admit that she had real feelings for Draco. Draco would never admit that he had real feelings for Y/N. They were both stubborn. They also didn’t know _what_ they were. The two were most definitely _not_ a couple, but they were closer than most _friends_ were.  
  
Y/N shouldn’t have been surprised when she first heard the rumors about Draco and Astoria kissing. She shouldn’t have been surprised when she’d found out the rumors were true. Draco didn’t belong to her. He had every right to kiss whomever he’d liked. Except, Y/N was upset and she was angry. They’d never strayed from each other before and this seemed out of the blue.

When Draco suggested that they take a trip to Hogsmeade together, Y/N happily agreed. Maybe the whole Astoria issue was solved. Maybe Draco didn’t have any feelings for her. However, Y/N quickly realized that all Draco wanted to talk about was him and Astoria on their trip.  
  
“You and I have just got to stop being so close, you know? Astoria and I are really interested in each other and she doesn’t like that you and I are so comfortable with each other. Plus, Father likes her and well, you know, what he says goes.” Draco explained as they walked through the small village.  
  
“Is this a joke? Draco, I thought we were closer than that. You’re really going to let your father and his choice of girls come between us? That’s pathetic.” Y/N scoffed and walked a little bit faster. Suddenly, she didn’t want Draco’s presence anymore. In fact, she wanted him to leave her alone.

“It is not pathetic. You’re pathetic. You can’t even get a boyfriend. What, are you jealous of Astoria and me?”   
  
“I can’t believe you’d even suggest that! That makes me sound like some crazy girl. I’m not crazy. You and I both know the reason I don’t have a boyfriend. We’re just too scared to admit it out loud.”  
  
“You’re pissing me off.”  
  
Y/N let out a frustrated sigh as she stopped by the Shrieking Shack. At least up here, no one would hear them arguing.  
“What’s gotten into you anyway? Why are you so determined to make your father proud of you all of the sudden?” she asked as she faced him. Draco looked down and tugged on his left jacket sleeve. Her E/C eyes followed his gaze and her jaw dropped.  
  
“It’s nothing.” he muttered.  
  
“You have it, don’t you? You have the Dark Mark?”  
  
“Stop. Don’t ask me questions you don’t want the answers to.”  
  
Y/N shook her head. Her breathing came faster and tears came to her eyes. She thought Draco was on her side - the good side. How could he betray her like that? Why would he even be interested in joining Voldemort? Draco was evil and she had been wrong about him for _so long_. Y/N felt betrayed. She pulled her wand out and pointed it towards him. She couldn’t trust him anymore.   
  
“What are you doing?” Draco asked, eyeing her wand.

She shot a spell at him. He ducked, knowing this wasn’t a fight that would end well. After a few spells were shot back and forth - none of them hitting the other - Draco was filled with rage. Why was she being so stupid? What was her issue? Why had she pulled out her wand in the first place? He was a good guy, she _knew_ that.  
  
She shot a spell that knocked Draco backward. Before he could register the words that came from his mouth, he shouted an unforgivable curse. He gasped as Y/N fell to her knees, screaming. Draco threw his wand away from him in disgust. Her screams had stopped and she was lying on the ground. What had he done?  
  
——–

Y/N’s body ached. She felt like she’d just had the work out of her lifetime. Her limbs were sore and her joints felt like they hadn’t moved in ages. It took all her energy to open her eyes. The last thing she remembered was falling into the snow after Draco had shouted a spell at her.  
  
“Hi.” she heard a familiar voice say. Draco was standing at the end of her hospital wing bed. She sat up and crossed her arms in front of her. She didn’t want to be alone with him anymore - not after what she’d found out.   
  
“Please leave. I don’t want -“ she tried, but was interrupted.  
  
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to-“ Draco rushed.   
  
“Save it, Draco. You’re so stereotypical. You’re just like them! Get out! Get out and don’t ever talk to me again.” Y/N responded.   
  
“I love you though! That _has_ to mean something to you. I’m doing the right thing right now. I’m on the side I need to be on. You don’t understand that, but you will one day - I promise you that. He’s going to kill my family and - and you - if I don’t do something. I love you. I don’t want to see you hurt. Does that mean anything to you?” he pleaded.

“No, it means nothing. I’ve always wanted to hear those three words come from your mouth, but I don’t anymore. It was before I knew that you were on the wrong side. Go have fun with Astoria and have fun fighting for a worthless cause.”  
  
Draco felt defeated as he walked away from Y/N. He felt like he’d lost the last good thing in his life - and he could never get it back.


	20. Broken Pieces

It was past midnight. Rain came down heavily on the Hogwarts grounds. Lightning shined bright through the sky and thunder kept waking the students up. Kept waking students up - except for two Slytherins who had never really gone to sleep in the first place.

Y/F/N Y/L/N and Draco Malfoy were tucked away in Draco’s dorm room. His fellow roommates had gone down to the common room in search of food and the intentions to start a small party. Draco and Y/N had politely declined.

The two were currently resting against the headboard of Draco’s bed. His arm was slung over her shoulder and her head was resting on his chest. They listened to each other’s breathing and the loud sound of the raindrops hitting Draco’s window. Y/N’s eyes slid to the only window in the room. It was dark - both inside and outside - but Y/N could see the droplets of water hitting the window.

Draco’s hand slid from where it’d been resting on her shoulders and into her hair. She hummed in response. Her eyes slid closed and she snuggled deeper into his chest - as if that were possible. Draco’s chest rose and fell steadily and Y/N knew she’d be asleep soon.

“Love you.” he whispered and kissed the top of her head.  
  
“Love you back.” she mumbled.

 _She wouldn’t if she knew the truth_ , Draco thought before he, too, fell fast asleep.

The next morning was a stark contrast to the night before. The sun was shining through the window. Y/N could hear doors slamming in the hallway. She opened her eyes slowly. Sitting up, she saw that the other boys from Draco’s dorm had either never came back or had already left. They were alone.

Laying back down, she turned onto her stomach and propped herself up on an elbow to look up at her boyfriend. His face was relaxed, but there was a frown on his lips. His eyebrows knitted together. Y/N knew Draco had been having nightmares lately and she wondered if this was one of them. She bit her lip.

One of her favorite things lately was that she always seemed to be up before him. Since the start of their sixth year, Draco had been sleeping later and later. Y/N didn’t mind, really. She loved watching him sleep - and lately it seemed to be the only time he was truly relaxed.

Her hand drifted up to his face. She pushed his messy hair back and out of his eyes. He shifted and his face seemed to relax as his eyebrows returned to their normal position. Her hand traveled down his face. Her fingers ghosted over his eyes, down his nose, and she paused on his lips. His breath was warm as it hit her ice cold fingertips. Draco always joked that the Slytherin mascot wasn’t the only cold blooded creature lurking in the dorms.

Y/N’s fingers traced the outline of his lips before moving on. Her hand fell down his sharp jawline - one of her favorite features on him.

She giggled softly as she remembered the first time she’d told Draco he had a nice jawline. He’d smirked and asked her if it was a turn on. She never replied. Instead, later that night, she’d proven to him that it definitely was. It was her favorite spot to show off that he was undeniably taken. Snapping herself out of the memory, she smiled as she came to a few love bites she’d left there the other day. They had faded slightly, but they were definitely still visible.

Slowly, her hand lightly trailed down his neck. She passed his collarbone - another one of her favorite spots to make it known that he was hers - and stopped at his chest. She felt his slow, even heartbeat underneath her hand. Y/N watched as her hand moved with every breath he took. A soft snore escaped his lips and she giggled. Draco wasn’t much of a snorer so when he did let a snore escape, Y/N thought it was one of the cutest things in the world.

Moving her hand down, she began tracing the outline of his abs through his shirt. Her fingers trailed to the hem of his shirt. She ran the fabric between her fingers. Her hand dove beneath the shirt and her cold fingers landed on warm skin. Draco shifted again. His left arm came to rest above his head and he turned on his side. They were facing each other now.

Y/N let out a slow breath. She always became nervous when she was this close to Draco. Her hand stayed beneath his shirt. Her eyes traveled from his closed eyes to the waist band of his pajama pants. They traveled back up and came to a stop on the arm above both of their heads.

Draco always seemed to be in long sleeves lately - whether they were outside or in. He claimed he wasn’t hot even when he’d sweat so much that Y/N begged him to change. Y/N took a closer look.

There was a black mark of some sort on the inside of his forearm. She slowly sat up and settled onto her knees. Grabbing his wrist, she pushed the arm of his shirt up as slowly as she could. She didn’t want to wake him up - not yet. And she was too curious to wait for another opportunity like this.

Her breath caught in her throat. There, in ink as black as the soul that had surely given it to him, sat the Dark Mark. The snake came from the mouth of the skeleton and Y/N’s stomach lurched at the thought of Draco doing Voldemort’s bidding. How long had he had this? Was he ever planning on telling her the truth? Most importantly, what did it mean for the two of them?

For the first time in Y/N’s life, she was scared of Draco - scared _for_ him. She jumped out of the warm bed. Stumbling over the sheets caught up with her feet, she tried to grab something before she could make more noise and wake the boy up. Missing a post of the bed, she grabbed for the nightstand. Missing that as well caused several picture frames resting on the nightstand to fall and the glass within them to break. If Draco wasn’t awake before, he surely was now.

Her eyes widened as Draco sat up. He rubbed his eyes. Sleepily, he ran his hands down his face. Draco looked to the cause of the noise. He smiled, laughed, and turned his body to face hers once again.

“Need some help, love?” he asked and offered a hand over the side of the bed. She shook her head and stood up. He noticed the expression on her face. Immediately, he looked down to where the Dark Mark rested, now completely exposed. One of his worst fears had just come true. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Nothing could express how truly sorry he was that she’d found out like this. She crossed her arms.

“I think I should go.” she said and looked down at the mess of glass on the floor. “I can clean that up before I- “

“No, don’t leave! Please. Can we just talk this out?” he begged.

“What’s there to say, Draco? I think that mark on your arm says enough! When were you planning on telling me? Or were you never going to say anything? Were you just going to let me sit in the dark and be oblivious as to what was going on with you? I thought I knew you better than that. I thought you _loved_ me, Draco!” her voice rose with every question.  
  
“I do! I promise I do! You’re the only thing getting me through this -“ he tried, but was interrupted.

“How? You didn’t even tell me about it, how am I getting-“  
  
“Can I talk, please?” Draco paused and Y/N nodded. “Thank you. Listen, I’ll tell you the whole story when we can truly be alone. I think you know the most important part. As for why I didn’t tell you, I wanted to protect you. Before you interrupt me, I know that doesn’t make sense to you. I should’ve told you. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry doesn’t fix things, Draco. It’s not going to fix those picture frames I broke and it’s not going to fix what you did.”

The two sat in silence. Draco stared at Y/N. Y/N’s gaze was on the floor. Her arms were still crossed as though that could protect her from the storm that had started between the two. Draco got off the bed and stood in front of her. His foot stepped onto a picture of the two of them laughing and he frowned. His arms reached out to her and she flinched.

“Don’t touch me. Please.” she spoke.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what else I can say. Sorry doesn’t even begin to cover this situation.” Draco mumbled.

“Is that where you go all the time? Secret meetings? Is that why you’ve been skipping classes - canceling dates?” Her voice was eerily calm. He nodded. She took a deep breath.

“I just wish I could make this better.” he said.  
  
“I need time, I think. I need to think this all through. You’re in a dangerous situation and I get it. But, you basically lied to me and I’m not sure that’s something I’ll be able to get over.”

She turned on her heel to leave.

“I understand. For what it’s worth… I - I, um, I love you.” he stuttered.

“Goodbye, Draco.” she muttered and left his room.

Their relationship was broken, just like the picture frames, and Draco wasn’t sure he could fix either. He heard a crunching sound from under his foot as he moved to sit back on his bed. He knew it was the glass, but he swore his heart had just made the exact same sound.


	21. Yule Ball

Pretty girls came into Draco’s life often. Pretty girls with kind hearts and genuine goals did not. So when Draco first noticed Y/N - he didn’t often pay attention to her. But when he started to see how nice she was and how she spoke her mind, Draco became more drawn to her. He wanted to know everything there was to know about Y/N.

He saw her for the first time in Potions class. Professor Snape had reassigned seats and she sat just in front of him. He watched as she tossed her H/C hair over a shoulder and sat with her back facing him. Draco couldn’t focus in Potions that day. He could smell the mint of her shampoo every time she tossed her hair. He could see her head bend down when she couldn’t keep up with the rapidness of Snape’s voice. He watched her knee bounce up and down when got impatient or bored.

The next few times Draco tried to ignore her, but he found it hard. She was beautiful - there was no denying that. But that wasn’t what attracted him to her. Y/N turned out to be funny. Draco could hear her comment under her breath during lessons. She also seemed to be as smart as - if not smarter - than Hermione Granger herself. She spoke her mind. She didn’t conform to other’s opinions. She had her own thoughts and she knew who she was.

Draco couldn’t keep his mind off of Y/N. Instead of his thoughts being consumed by Harry Potter, they were consumed with Y/N. He wanted her to notice him. He wanted her to want him as bad as he wanted her. Draco hadn’t even talked to the girl yet. He didn’t know how. They weren’t partners in any of the classes they had together. They didn’t sit near each other at meals. There wasn’t an excuse for him to talk to her.

Then Yule Ball came faster than he thought it would. When there were four weeks until the ball, Draco had thought about asking her to it. He decided it was too early. The next week, he had another excuse. He had too much homework. There wasn’t enough time in the day. She was always surrounded by her other friends. The third week, he was starting to panic. Everyone else in house already had a date. Draco didn’t. Y/N probably already did. Blaise brought the problem up to him at a late night study session.

“So, Draco, who did you ask to the Yule Ball? Anyone special?” Blaise winked.

“Blaise. You know I haven’t asked anyone yet.” Draco responded and closed his textbook loudly.

“Well now’s your chance. Look who just walked in to the library.”

Draco glared at Blaise. Blaise knew of Draco’s infatuation with the h/c hair e/c eyed fourth year. Blaise had listened to Draco make excuses for hours about why he couldn’t talk to the girl. Draco hadn’t even introduced himself yet. Granted, she probably already knew who he was - everyone did. Blaise gave him a pointed look and looked back to where Y/N was sitting at a table by herself.

“If you won’t do it, I’ll do it for you. You’re _Draco Malfoy._ What have you got to lose, mate?” Blaise leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. Draco gathered his things and made his way over to the table where she was sitting. He stopped midway when she was joined by one of her friends. Draco didn’t want to ask to the Yule Ball in front of her friends. He wanted it to be special.

He turned around and made his way back to where Blaise sat laughing.

“Mate, you can’t be scared of talking to her and her friends forever. You’ve got to ask her soon though, you don’t want her to get snatched up - if she isn’t already.”  
  
“I’ll do it. I just want it to be at the right moment.” Draco replied angrily.

The week of the Yule Ball, Draco was determined. He studied her that week more than ever. Draco made note of what hairstyle she wore most often. He listened in on more of her conversations. Her favorite color was y/f/c. He learned that while she thought the idea of the ball was nice, it was also a brutal reminder that not everyone was meant to end up with a date. Most importantly, he had learned that she’d turned down several offers to go to the Yule Ball with someone because she was waiting on a certain boy to ask her.

Draco’s confidence wavered when he heard that. If he asked her, and she turned him down, he’d be disappointed. He had spent weeks infatuated with this girl. He had a plan though and he thought that it just might work. If it ended up in a disaster, at least he’d tried.

Then night of the Yule Ball, Draco waited at the bottom of the big staircase. He watched as several girls passed him. They would glance at him, giggle, and then saunter into the Great Hall. He saw Pansy and Blaise and several of his other friends in a circle gossiping. When Draco saw Y/N’s group of friends descend down the staircase, he became even more nervous than before. She wasn’t with them. Did that mean his plan hadn’t worked? He sat on the last step of the staircase.

Everyone had made their way into the Great Hall fifteen minutes ago. There was still no sign of Y/N. Draco figured he must have missed her walk down. Maybe she’d gone in before he got there. Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t seem to hear the heels clicking against the stone of the stair steps. There was a tap on his shoulder.

Standing up, Draco whirled around. His jaw dropped as he saw Y/N standing in front of him.

“Draco,” she cleared her throat. “I- uh- I got your note and your gifts. Thank you, it was very nice of you. You didn’t have to do this.” she spoke softly. Draco shook his head and closed his mouth. He swallowed and spoke.

“I’ve been trying to figure out a way to talk to you, but you always seem to be surrounded by your friends. I thought sending you something might be the only way I could talk to you alone. Er, you look lovely, by the way.”

An uncommon blush crept up the boy’s cheeks.

“Thanks. I’m glad you think so. Considering you sent me the dress, shoes, and jewelry, I’m glad you think I look decent.” She laughed and Draco’s breath caught in his throat. He loved the sound of her laugh.

“Well, I’m just glad you liked them. I heard your favorite color was y/f/c so that’s how I figured out what color to get you. I did have help though. Er, Pansy helped. She really picked everything out after I told her what - You know what, never mind. Shall we go in?” Draco asked. He was nervous. She had that affect on him. And he had already said too much.

“Sorry I’m late, by the way. I couldn’t decide how to wear my hair.” she confessed.

“It’s not a problem. I’m just glad you came. Now, let’s go have some fun, yeah?” 


	22. Just Once

Draco and Y/N had become distant lately. They didn’t spend every second of every day together anymore. Things between them had become tense. Y/N liked to think that it was normal - that eventually the awkwardness between them would pass. But it had been two months that they’d been like this. She was sick of it.

She decided to confront him when they were alone. The two were in the Great Hall eating breakfast together. They sat farther down the table than they usually did- away from their group of friends. Draco’s hand was resting on Y/N’s knee while he absentmindedly pushed his food around his plate with his fork. She watched as he pushed his eggs to one side of the plate then back to the other. She watched him sigh, drop his fork, then look around the room - like he’d rather be anywhere else.

“Hey babe. Can I ask you something?” she muttered. His head whipped back around to face her. He pulled his hand from her knee and intertwined their hands. 

“Yeah, sure. What’s up?” he answered.

“I- er - is there something wrong? You’ve been acting strange lately. We don’t spend much time together anymore and when we do, it’s kind of boring. It seems like you’re just going through the motions…” she trailed off and glanced around the room. Draco sighed. He felt bad because this wasn’t a topic of conversation that he wanted to have right now.  
  
“Do you remember last month when we were - er- in your dorm room alone and I tried to take it further, but you stopped me? And I told you it was okay - that we didn’t have to go any further? Or a week after that when the same thing happened? Or last week when it happened again? I told you it was fine with me, but I lied. It’s not.”

Y/N pulled her hand from his quickly. Her mouth dropped to a frown.

“Are you serious?” she asked quietly.   
  
“Yeah. I mean, you love me right?” he paused and she nodded. “Okay, and I love you. So, why do you keep saying no? You seem so into it and then I put my hand up your shirt and you freak out. You just tease me and then never follow through. It’s not fair.”

“It’s not fair? Draco, are you being serious right now? I’m not ready for that yet. I will make out with you for days if you want me to, but I’m just not ready to go all the way yet. I’m sorry.”

“Maybe we should break up then. You say you love me, but you don’t want to prove it? I’ll find someone else, Y/N. It’s not hard.” Draco threatened.

Y/N crossed her arms over her stomach. Her usually perfect posture dropped. She fought the tears the sprung to her eyes,

“You’re breaking up with me because I won’t have sex with you? You really are as much of a git as everyone says you are. I’ve been so stupid to think otherwise. Sorry for being a tease and wasting your time, Malfoy. Have a nice life.” Y/N hissed. She swung her legs over the bench and stormed out of the Great Hall.

Her breathing had started coming faster. The tears that had threatened to spill earlier fulfilled their promise and fell. She couldn’t see and she couldn’t breath. Had he been dating her just to get into her pants? Why did he choose now - after two years of dating - to break up with her? And over something so trivial and unimportant? Relationships weren’t all about sex. It wasn’t fair. Somehow, she found her way to her dorm room. She didn’t come out for the rest of the day.

Months passed. During that time, Y/N got rid of almost everything that had to do with Draco. Draco got rid of almost everything that had to do with Y/N - except, he couldn’t bring himself to throw away their first picture together. It meant something to him - their whole relationship had. But when he saw that she was getting along just fine without him, he wanted to get over her as well. He did regret what he’d said to her. He had just been upset that all of his friends had been with someone and he was still a virgin. He’d grown tired of waiting for her when it seemed as though she’d never come around.

They bumped into each other on their way to class one day. It had been all Draco’s fault. He wasn’t paying attention to where he was going. He ended up walking straight into Y/N. Next thing he knew, he was lying on top of his ex-girlfriend in the middle of a hallway. He quickly scrambled off of her.  
  
“I - er- I’m sorry.” he apologized and offered his hand to help her up.  
  
“It’s alright.” she replied, taking his hand and pulling herself back up and off of the floor. They stood in front of each other in awkward silence.  
  
“Well, I sh-“ Draco started, but was interrupted.

“I miss you.” Y/N blurted. Her eyes locked with his. His jaw dropped, but he quickly recovered.  
  
“I miss you too…” Draco wasn’t sure what else to say. All he knew was that he wanted her, right now, so badly. He just wanted to take her back up to his dorm and cuddle with her until all of their problems disappeared.

“I- um- Seamus asked me out the other day. We’re going to Hogsmeade. I just- I just thought you should know.” Y/N confessed and looked anywhere but Draco.

“Are you joking? With a Gryffindor? You must be mad. I have to go. Have a nice life, Y/N.” Draco fumed. His shoulder bumped hers as he stormed off down the hallway and to his next class. Y/N sighed and continued in the opposite direction.

Later that day, she was studying in the library. Thankfully, there weren’t many people around - until her best friend, Y/BF/N, came running through the aisles and to her table.  
  
“Woah, woah, woah, what’s the damage?” Y/N asked, moving her ink bottle just in time for her best friend to place her hand where it just was.

“I know you said you’re over Draco, but I saw him throw away something today. It was the first picture you guys ever took together. Is there no chance you guys are getting back together?” Y/BF/N rushed.

Y/N dropped her quill and leaned back in her chair. Sure, she liked to pretend she was over Draco, but she wasn’t. She knew she was just trying to make him jealous. She just wanted him to realize that he’d been ridiculous with the reason he gave her when they broke up.

“It just stings. I thought I could make him realize that the reason he broke up with me was stupid and that even though we love each other, we don’t have to have sex to prove that. I don’t have to prove that I love him by giving him a blowjob. I just thought he was a different person, but I guess not. **I just want him to not be okay. I want him to cry, just once.** That’s so frustrating.” Y/N spoke in a whisper. She gathered her things and walked back to her dorm with Y/BF/N to prepare for her date with Seamus. She was going to prove that she didn’t need Draco after all.


	23. Adoration (part one)

The room was dark. The air was cold. There was a warm body next to her. His arm was slung across her waist. She opened her eyes. His face was too close to hers, but she could tell who the boy next to her was by the white blonde hair. What had happened last night? And why couldn’t she remember anything passed one am? The boy next to her shifted and his icy blue eyes met hers.

“Oh, you’re awake.” was all he said as he sat up and rubbed his hands over his face. Y/N raised an eyebrow as she realized the boy next to her was shirtless.

“I- uh - yeah. We didn’t _do_ any-“ she was cut off by a sharp laugh.

“I could lie to you and say yes, but contrary to popular belief, I’m _not_ that mean.”

The boy - whose name she couldn’t quite remember at the moment - sat back against the headboard. His hands linked together and he brought them behind his head. Y/N slowly sat up - already feeling the beginning effects of a headache - and crossed her legs. The boy watched as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. She folded her hands in her lap.

“So - I’m sorry to ask this but - I totally forgot your name. I - uh - I know you’re a Malfoy, but I’m not exactly sure what your first name is. Did you tell me last night? How did I end up here? And where is ‘here’ exactly?”

The boy smirked.

“Yes - Malfoy. _Draco_ Malfoy. I did tell you twice last night, but you were a bit tipsy - in your defense. You ended up here because I brought you here. ‘Here’ is my dormitory.” She watched as he explained. He raised an eyebrow.

“What exactly happened last night? I don’t really remember anything past about one am.”

* * *

The room was dark. The lights from the party were the only thing illuminating the large space filled with tons of people. Y/N leaned against a table as her friend brought her another drink. Y/N had already had one too many, but what would another one hurt?

She was already drunk. She had already semi-forgotten about her ex-boyfriend, whom she had only been dating to make a certain blonde in Slytherin jealous. But _that_ boy had no idea she even existed. So, for once in her life, she wanted to forget the world and get wasted with her friends.

It had worked fine for the first few hours of the party. She’d played a couple of rounds of truth or dare, she’d danced until her body hurt, and she’d even had conversations with most of the party guests. She was having _fun_ \- until a certain Slytherin prince sauntered into the room. His hair shined bright against the lights. Shadows danced across his face and made him seem more mysterious than usual. HIs eyes were a deep deep blue. And Y/N could feel herself staring, so, instead of talking to him, she turned on her heel and made her way back to a punch bowl that had been spiked with who knew what exactly.

Her nose scrunched up as she felt the liquid burn its way down her throat - though she wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or the secret she was keeping. Her friends danced around her pulling her this way and that and she gave in to the music. Distractions were her thing.

Draco Malfoy had seen her as soon as he’d stepped foot into the party. Her H/C hair was easy to spot and it wasn’t as though she was playing hard to get because she was staring right at him. Draco looked towards a drink table and then back at the girl. She was gone. It was typical of her. He’d always see her, try and work up the nerve to talk to her, and by the time he’d done that, she was already gone. She wasn’t going to disappear tonight. She was good at it, but finding her was Draco’s mission.

And he didn’t want to get to know her in the way that he knew other girls - like Pansy and Daphne. He didn’t want to just hook up with her every so often. Draco wanted to get to _know_ her. He wanted to know her favorite color. He wanted to know her favorite flower. What made her tick? What made her the happiest? What made her the maddest? Was she the jealous type? Was she even into him at all? Did she know his first name?

Draco’s feet moved on their own accord. He talked to people, but he never fully payed attention to their conversation. His eyes were on the lookout for Y/N. He’d seen her once at a table full of alcohol, but by the time he’d managed to get over there, her friends had whisked her away to the dance floor. Draco wasn’t going to talk to her with her friends around. He wanted their first meeting to be personal - to be special.

Y/N had grown tired. She wanted sleep - _no_ \- she _needed_ sleep. Her head was spinning and she was sure that she’d have a massive hangover in the morning. She slurred a string of goodnight’s to her friends and stumbled towards the girl’s dormitory stairs. As she walked, she bumped into several people - one being Draco Malfoy - but she didn’t care. She wanted to sleep and she was going to go up to her room, change into her pajamas, and curl up in her warm bed.

Draco watched as the girl stumbled through the crowd. He watched as she swayed to one side then back to the other. His attention turned towards a conversation with Blaise Zabini. When she bumped into him, he’d turned around - furious that someone had the nerve to knock into him and not apologize - but when he saw that it was Y/N, his anger vanished.

He watched the Y/H/C push her way through the crowd and to the stairs that led to the separate dormitories. She stumbled, looked up at the boy’s staircase and the girl’s staircase, and then sat in between them. Draco excused himself from Blaise and pushed through the crowd towards the obviously too drunk girl. He approached her slowly. She had her legs crossed and was busy taking off her heels.

“Need some help?” he asked. The girl’s head snapped up and her eyes widened.

“Er - sure, I guess. The strap on my - my shoe… my shoes won’t come off and I have to go up the stairs. But I’m not exactly sure where I go once I get up them. I’m just tired. And I want to sleep.” Y/N explained.

Draco took a seat next to her. He slowly took her foot from her hands and expertly undid the little latch that was holding her shoe to her foot. She sighed in relief and he took the other one off as well. She picked them up off of the ground. Her eyes lingered on Draco’s face before looking out at the party scene in front of them. Draco watched as her eyes dance across the crowd.

“Will - um, will you help me up the stairs? I forgot where my room is.” she asked shyly.

“Unfortunately love, I’m not exactly sure where your room is either. Would you like to come to mine? I won’t try anything. Promise.” Draco smirked. He stood up and helped the beautiful girl in front of him stand up slowly. She stumbled forward and his eyes drifted up the staircase.   
  
“I don’t think I can make it up those,” Y/N giggled. “What was your name again?”

“Draco. Do you want me to carry you? It might be easier.” he offered. Without hesitation, she threw her arms around his neck. Draco’s breath hitched in his throat. His arm came around her torso while his other one came behind her knees.

When Draco had first approached her that evening, he never thought he’d carry her up to his room. He was surprised when he’d formed more than one coherent sentence around her. Maybe it was the copious amounts of fire whiskey or maybe it was the numerous amounts of times he’d worked up the courage to talk to her and then never did… but he’d done it and now he was carrying her up to his room like he’d known her for more than just tonight.

As he managed to kick open his door, he heard soft snores. He looked down at the girl in his arms and he couldn’t quite remember the last time he’d seen someone look so beautiful. He laid the girl in his bed, but stopped when he realized that one of her fists had attached itself to his shirt. Y/N’s eyes opened slightly.

“Can you stay with me um - sorry - what was your name again?” she slurred.

Draco nodded, muttered his name again, and wrapped his hand around her fist. He gently pulled her off of him and made his way to the other side.

* * *

“So that’s how you ended up here. Though, judging by the look on your face, you don’t remember any of it.” Draco smirked. A blush crept up Y/N’s cheeks.

“I don’t remember anything past seeing you walk into the party. I was trying to get as drunk as I could last night. I needed to… forget certain things.” she explained.

“I can understand that. You threw up three times after that - luckily it was in my trash can.” Draco offered and stood up. His roommates had never returned last night so they had the room to themselves. He walked to his closet and rummaged through some clothes.   
  
“Oh no! That’s so embarrassing. I’ve only known you a short time and I’ve already puked in front of you not once, but _three_ times. I’m sorry.” Y/N groaned.

“Don’t apologize, it happens. You could make it up to me though… Let me take you on a date.” He turned around and leaned on his closet door frame.

“A real date? You actually want to get to know me? Did you even know I existed before last night?” she asked and rubbed her temples. Draco raised an eyebrow.

“There’s aspirin on that nightstand to the side of you. Also, yes, I did know you existed before last night. So, I’ll say it again. Let me take you on a date. I know you broke up with that other boy.”

“Fine. If you must know though, you didn’t have to do all this. I would’ve said yes if you asked me out the regular way. You didn’t have to play the hero.” Y/N said and got up, looking for her shoes.

“Your shoes are by the door. I’ll come find you at eight tonight. Wear black again, you look sexy in it.” Draco winked and turned around to get dressed.

Y/N walked out of Draco Malfoy’s dorm full of confusion. Since when did Draco Malfoy go out with girls like her? 


	24. Adoration (part two)

Y/N sighed as she pulled a pink sweater over her head. Draco Malfoy would be looking for her in a few minutes and she wasn’t even close to being ready. She walked to her dresser and opened the top drawer.

“Skirt or jeans?” she asked her best friend, Pansy Parkinson.  
  
“You know, I still can’t believe you’re going on a date with _Draco_ _Malfoy_.” she answered.  
  
“That doesn’t answer my question.”   
  
“Skirt. It makes for easy access.” Pansy winked and laughed loudly as she exited the room. Y/N shook her head.  
  
“Jeans it is then.”

* * *

She’d been standing at the bottom of the dormitory stairs for ten minutes and Draco still had not shown up. A million thoughts ran through her head, but the one that stuck out the most was the thought that this had all been a joke. It wasn’t unlike a Malfoy to pull this cruel of a prank.

“Did I _not_ say,” a voice drawled from in front of her and her snapped up. “to wear black?”

“You did and that’s exactly why I didn’t.”

Draco gave her a once over. He smirked and offered his hand. Y/N looked at it and then walked out of the Slytherin common room. He followed close behind.

“So where are we going and what are we doing? This also better not be a prank Draco Malfoy or so help me-“  
  
“It’s not, Y/N, relax.”

Draco led Y/N down a few flights of stairs and through some hallways - straight into the Great Hall. The sky outside was dark and slowly filling with stars - which was reflected in the ceiling above them. All of the house tables had been cleared. In the middle of the big room, sat a small table with a few candles placed on top. Besides those and the small amount of light outside, the room was dark. On the table sat two plates and rose petals were scattered around the table.   
  
“I hope it’s not, um, too much. Forgive me if it is, but I-“  
  
“It’s perfect, Draco.”

Draco led her to the table. He pulled out the chair for her and made his way around to his. They talked about what their interests were and what their families were like. The pair compared what exactly it was like to grow up in a house full of Slytherins. They talked of the pressures their family put on them to marry pureblood. Y/N quickly found out that while Draco did in fact believe in the pureblood line when he was younger, he’d changed his mind recently and didn’t so whole heartedly believe it. He _did_ keep up the act though so no one would report back to his father.

Draco learned of Y/N’s favorite color. He learned that while most of her family had in fact been Slytherin, she had a distant aunt or two that were sorted into Ravenclaw. Her father wanted her to marry a pureblood Slytherin while her mother didn’t really care who she married - if she married at all.  
  
“So, Draco, about last night…” Y/N trailed off, looking anywhere but at the boy in front of her.

“What about it?” Draco asked, confused as to why she would bring it up again.  
  
“You didn’t have to be so nice to me you know. I could have handled the situation by myself.”  
  
“I know. I wanted to help though. See, Y/N, the truth is, I’ve had my eye on you for awhile and I feel like I’ve never had the chance to introduce myself to you properly. You’re always surrounded by people.” he explained, avoiding eye contact with the beautiful girl in front of him.

“Draco, you and I both know that isn’t true. We have several classes together and you choose to ignore me in every single one of them.” Y/N looked down at her hands, remembering the several times she tried to talk to the boy now sitting in front of her.

“You’ve never tried to speak to me, Y/N.”  
  
“I have! You chose to ignore me every single time, Draco. It’s embarrassing so trust me, I remember it.”

“I’m sorry.” the blonde boy mumbled.   
  
The two sat in silence for a few minutes. Y/N didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want to accept his apology because in no way was it okay that he ignored her. Maybe Draco was right though. Maybe he just didn’t hear her. Maybe he simply whole heartedly believed that she never tried to speak to him.

“Would you like to go for a walk?” Draco asked, finally meeting her eyes.

Y/N nodded and followed the boy out into the grounds. They walked in a comfortable silence, neither one of them forcing conversation. In the back of Y/N’s head she wondered why exactly they weren’t being stopped by any teachers, but she didn’t question him - just followed. Draco sat down at a big tree by the Black Lake and Y/N took a seat next to him. She followed his gaze towards the stars above them.

“Do you ever wish you could go back and change certain things?” Y/N asked, keeping her eyes on the stars. Draco’s eyes slid to look at the profile of her face illuminated by the moonlight.  
  
“Doesn’t everyone?” he replied and returned his gaze to the sky.  
  
“I guess so. But I mean important life moments… like when I saw you for the first time. It was our first year. I remember seeing you with your parents before the train took off and I remember thinking how lucky you were. I thought you were _so lucky_ that both of your parents were there to send you off for your first day. My mother was the only one who was able to make it because my father got called into work. She had to get back to work as soon as possible so I made it a short and sweet goodbye. As I got to the train doors, I turned around and saw her heading over to talk to your parents. You were still with them and Draco, I just wish I could have made my feet _move_. I wish I had known you sooner. I wish that I didn’t have to _really_ meet you while I was super drunk at a party that I didn’t exactly want to be at in the first place.”

Draco was silent for a few moments before he mustered up the courage to finally speak.  
  
“It’s funny because I saw you for the first time when we were sorted. I remember watching you and hoping and wishing that _someone_ was on my side and you were sorted into Slytherin. I was so hopeful in that moment. I don’t think I’d ever been that hopeful in my entire life. I was going to introduce myself to you that night. I ended up losing you in the crowd. I’ve been infatuated with you ever since. This might sound bizarre, but I know how the sunlight reflects off your hair. I know that when you don’t know the answer to a question your eyebrows knit together. I’m aware of how your nose is slanted perfectly, but also at an angle. Your eyes are Y/E/C. And I also know that you dated that guy to make me jealous.”   
  
Y/N’s attention snapped to Draco’s face. He was smirking. Y/N was aware of the fact that she had dated this guy to make him jealous, yes, but where had he gotten that information from? It _had_ to have been Pansy- she was the only one Y/N had told.

“Pansy?” she asked and he nodded his confirmation with a laugh.   
  
“You _might_ want to stop staring at my handsome face and instead at the sky. We’re on a _star_ gazing date, not a _Draco_ -gazing date. Though I can’t say that I wouldn’t mind one of those.”   
  
Y/N snorted and brought her face back up to stare at the vast night sky. She glanced at Draco only once as the minutes passed.

Suddenly, a bright light streaked across the night sky. Y/N’s breath caught in her throat and she closed her eyes, wishing on the shooting star. She opened her eyes and stole another look at Draco. He opened his blue eyes and met hers.  
  
“What’d you wish for?” he whispered.  
  
“I wished we could start over.” she breathed. He smiled and stood up. Draco offered the girl his hand and pulled her up as well. He let go of her and then stuck his hand out again, but in between them.   
  
“What are you doing?”  
  
“Hi, I’m Malfoy. _Draco_ Malfoy.” Y/N laughed and shook Draco’s out stretched hand.  
  
“Hi, I’m Y/L/N. _Y/F/N_ Y/L/N.”


	25. Birthday Boy

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE!” Y/N yelled as she jumped on to Draco’s bed.  
  
He groaned and rolled over on to his stomach. Pulling the blankets off of him, she straddled his back. Leaning down, she placed a gentle kiss behind his ear. He let out a soft sigh in response. Taking it as a sign to continue, she pressed another one at the back of his hairline and continued down the back of his neck.   
  
“Draco, get up. We have a busy day and I’m trying to make this your best birthday ever - which I know seems impossible since last year’s was pretty great, but this one will be the best one yet, I promise.” Y/N whispered as she pressed her hands into his back.

With Y/N moving her hands - and mouth - up and down his shoulders and back, this was was the most relaxed Draco had been in days. Between maintaining his “bad boy” image and dealing with whatever his father needed him to do, Draco had slipped into a minor depression - not that he’d tell anyone. But the only thing that ever came close to making him relax and see the good in the world was her.   
  
“I don’t want to.” Draco mumbled and closed his eyes tighter.   
  
“I know that, Draco. But I have a whole day planned so get up and get dressed.” She placed another kiss behind his ear and the dormitory door swung open. Y/N jumped and Draco swung his head towards the door.   
  
“Happy birthday, Draco!” Pansy shouted, dragging a tired looking Blaise behind her.   
  
Draco groaned and his head found its way under his pillow.

“I thought I told you guys to wait downstairs.” Y/N rolled her eyes and swung herself off of Draco.

Pansy crossed her arms and cocked a hip.

“You were taking too long. I’m ready to get this day started!”

“Okay, okay! Draco, please get up and get dressed. Wear something casual, alright? We’ll be downstairs.” Y/N said and ushered Blaise and Pansy out of the room.

* * *

They only had to wait thirty minutes for Draco to finally drag himself down the long steps and into the Slytherin common room. He was wearing a black t-shirt and a pair of dark black pants and although Y/N had known Draco for years, she still got butterflies when she saw him. He slung on arm around her, pulling her close, and planted a kiss on her temple. She smiled.

“Where to first then?” Draco asked.

The hike to Hogsmeade wasn’t as bad in June as it was in December - mainly because it wasn’t snowing. It didn’t take the four of them long to reach their first stop in the town. Y/N led the way with Draco holding her hand and following closely behind her. She stopped at the little station in front of the building.

“Hi, I have a reservation for four under the name Malfoy at ten?” she informed the girl behind the station. The girl smiled at the four of them and her eyes lingered a little too long on a certain platinum haired boy.   
  
“Of course, follow me!” she exclaimed and led the four of them to their table.   
  
“Malfoy, huh?” Draco smirked down at his girlfriend and gently elbowed her in the ribs.   
  
“For _you_. It was the only way they’d let me make a reservation.” she whispered back.   
  
“How’d you do it? Did you take a polyjuice potion? Or did you just tell them you’re my mom? Did you take my last name as your own? Tell them we’re married? What’d you do?”   
  
“I’m not admitting what I did or didn’t do to you, Draco. Assume what you will, but if I told you, I’m afraid I’d have to kill you.”

Draco chuckled and pulled out the chair for Y/N as they reached their table. Blaise did the same for Pansy and the boys sat down across from each other.

“Is this breakfast all you have planned today, Y/N?” Draco inquired while he stretched an arm around the back of her chair. Y/N shook her head left to right as she looked over the menu that had appeared in front of each of them.

“This is all she has planned with us, anyway.” Pansy muttered. Draco shot Y/N a questioning look then turned to Pansy.  
  
“What do you mean by that, Pansy?” he asked.   
  
“I mean that after this, you guys are going to explore Hogsmeade some more while Blaise and I go back to Hogwarts.”

The four teenagers enjoyed their breakfast. They sat and talked about big upcoming exams and how none of them really felt prepared for them - but did they ever? The four talked of their summer plans and how now that Voldemort was officially back, were they all coming back next year? Or were they staying home to help out their families? None of them knew for sure exactly what would happen. After an hour or so of dreary conversation, Y/N made them change the topic. This was a birthday breakfast after all.

The group finished their meals and went their separate ways. Draco held Y/N’s hand tightly as they went in and out of shops. She insisted on buying him something, but there was no way he was letting her do that.

Draco Malfoy was not very fond of his birthday. The only reason Y/N knew about it was because they had celebrated it a couple times when they were kids. Y/N took it upon herself to continue to make his birthdays a big deal once they got to Hogwarts. He wasn’t sure why she was so insistent on the topic. He didn’t understand. He was just a year older - no big deal.

Y/N led Draco to a small and quiet cafe. She knew he hated his birthday, but that’s the exact reason she made it such a big deal. To her, Draco had made it another year alive and for that, she was eternally grateful. She didn’t understand why he liked to sweep it under the rug. He hated presents and he hated surprises. She did both for him. She pulled out the box she had been hiding in her sweater pocket.

“I got this for you. Don’t say anything Draco, please. I wanted to do this for you. You’re my boyfriend and I love you. I know you hate presents, but I just _had_ to.” she explained and set the small box down on the table. Draco eyed her then slid it to him.

Inside the box was a plain black ring. From far away, it looked extremely simple. Up close, though, it was carved with extremely intricate designs. There were swirls and snakes and when the light hit it just right, you could see the fangs on the snakes’ teeth. Picking it out of the box, the sun caught on some silver writing on the inside of it. He noticed his initials carved next to Y/N’s. His eyes filled with tears, but he held them back. This gift was automatically better than everything that Draco had ever been given.

“Is it okay? Do you like it? I know it’s not much, and you might think it’s stupid, but my family knows a guy who makes jewelry and such, and I asked him to make it for you. There’s a protection spell on it, so whenever you’re in danger, it sends a signal to a necklace I have back in my room and I’ll know you’re in trouble. It also protects you from any harm or at least-“

Y/N’s rambling was cut short by Draco’s lips on hers. His hands slid to her cheeks. He tried to convey how extremely grateful he was to have her in his life through that kiss. She pulled back a little and smiled.

“So you like it then? I know it’s kind of girly but-”  
  
“Of course I do, babe. Don’t worry. This is the best thing I’ve ever gotten and I’m so glad you care enough about me to at least try and make my birthday a special day. I love you so much, Y/F/N Y/L/N.” Draco whispered.  
  
“I love you too.” she kissed him briefly again. “It’s time for your next activity, are you ready to come on an adventure with me?”  
  
“Every day is an adventure with you. Let’s go.”

Y/N led Draco back to Hogwarts. They held hands and Draco glared at everyone that looked at the pair. Y/N made it seem like she was oblivious to this fact, but she secretly liked that Draco got so easily agitated. It made people leave them alone. It also helped that he was a Malfoy and people feared the Malfoys.   
  
As they climbed staircase after staircase, Draco’s curiosity got the best of him. They’d passed the Room of Requirement and they had definitely passed the Slytherin common room.

At the sixth floor, Y/N made a right and continued down a long, dark hallway. About halfway down the hall, she stopped and entered a classroom. It looked like it hadn’t been used in years. There was dust everywhere and a strange machine sat in the middle of the room. Y/N let go of Draco’s hand and he stayed where he was.

Y/N pressed the ‘on’ button of the projector and it roared to life. The lightbulb flickered once before gaining its strength to steady out. She pointed it at a wall while the opening credits of a movie played.

“What is that?” Draco asked skeptically.   
  
“It shows movies or uh - moving pictures with sound, I guess. A couple of muggles showed it to me two years ago. I wanted to show you my favorite one.” she answered quietly, trying to gauge her boyfriend’s reaction.  
  
“That’s a muggle device then?”   
  
“Yes.”

Draco crossed the room until he was standing in front of his girlfriend.

“Oh, Y/F/N Y/L/N, if my father only knew how much of a bad girl you really are.” he smirked and pulled out his wand.

With a flick and a swish, there was a pile of blankets and pillows on the floor. Snacks were piled by a corner of the blankets. The room looked sparkling clean. Y/N smiled and dropped onto the pile of blankets. Draco sat next to her and pulled her close. He wasn’t normally so easily convinced to do anything muggle related, but if Y/N liked it then it couldn’t be too bad.

Five hours and two movies later, Draco was whining as Y/N pulled him from the room. He pulled on her hand and tried to make her go back into that quiet and relaxing room with him, but she wouldn’t budge. She just kept leading him back down several flights of stairs. They reached the Slytherin common room and stopped right outside the door.

“Don’t get mad at me.” Y/N breathed. Draco rose an eyebrow and muttered the new password.

“SURPRISE!” a big group of people shouted.

Draco stopped just inside the door with Y/N following closely behind him. He hadn’t expected anything like this - not that he minded though. Draco Malfoy was always up for a good party. He smiled and waved as everyone went back to whatever it was they had been doing before the couple had entered the room. He turned around to his girlfriend.

“Why on _earth_ would I be mad at you?” he asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Y/N leaned back a little and looked up into Draco’s blue eyes.

“I know you don’t like doing big things for your birthday, but I just had to, babe. I wanted you to be able to celebrate with all of your friends - not just me.” she explained.   
  
He kissed her forehead, then her nose, then kissed her lips.

“Happy birthday, dude! Why didn’t you tell us?” Theodore Nott interrupted as he strode up to the couple. Draco disentangled from Y/N. He settled for his arm around her shoulders.

“I don’t know, Theo. I just don’t think it’s a big deal.” Draco explained. Theo rolled his eyes and made his way to one of the drink tables.

Draco and Y/N pushed and shoved through the crowd and to the couches. They hadn’t had a decent conversation since they’d stepped in the place. Everyone wanted to wish Draco Malfoy a happy birthday. The couch was their usual hangout at parties in the Common Room and sure enough their were two seats left open.

After several hours of drinking and party games, everyone decided to head up to bed. In doing so, they also left the place a complete mess. Draco and Y/N had barely moved from their spot on the couch. The lights had gone out and they were sitting in front of the fire place enjoying the now quiet atmosphere. Her head was in his lap and he was playing with her hair.

“So tell me Draco Malfoy, did you enjoy you birthday party?” Y/N murmured.  
  
“If only because I got to spend it with you, love.” he whispered back.  
  
“Please stop being cheesy for one second and be honest. Was your birthday everything and more?”  
  
“Of course it was. Thank you for the best birthday ever,” he paused to lean down and kiss her cheek. “ _and_ for being the best girlfriend ever. I love you, Y/F/N Y/L/N.”  
  
“I love you too, Draco Malfoy.”

They left the cleaning to the house elves and the two fell into a peaceful sleep on the couch in the Slytherin Common Room.


	26. Dibs

Y/N watched from across the room as Pansy and her girl gang hung on to every word Draco Malfoy said to them. Slytherin had just won the first Quidditch match of the season, so naturally there was a huge party after the game. Being a Ravenclaw, she really shouldn’t have been in the Slytherin common room, but one of her best friends had insisted that she come celebrate. So here she was, sitting alone, staring at the most sought after boy in Hogwarts, and a little bit drunker than she’d like to admit.

Y/N had always thought of Draco Malfoy as attractive, but she’d never tell anyone that. Despite her pure blood status, she was a Ravenclaw and she was supposed to hate Slytherin - and for the most part she kind of did. But she didn’t hate _him_. She had no reason to. He’d never done anything to her and while she didn’t totally agree with how he treated some people, she couldn’t deny that there was something different about him. He was intoxicating. She’d always had a fascination with him. He just carried himself so differently than everyone else, but she liked to blame that on the fact that he was a Malfoy.

Something came over her. And she wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol in her system or a small moment of bravery, but she downed one more shot of fire whiskey and made her way over to the tall platinum haired boy. Pushing her way through the crowd of girls surrounding him, she finally made it to him. She tapped him on the shoulder. As he turned, she felt her confidence slip. What had she been thinking? Why would she put herself in the line of Draco Malfoy’s attention?   
  
“Y/L/N? What are you doing here? You’re in Ravenclaw.”

His narrowed blue eyes met her wide e/c ones.

Her confidence went up a little bit. If she could look Draco Malfoy in the eye, she could do anything.

“Great observation. I am, in fact, in Ravenclaw. I came here with Y/F/N. I was just wondering if, perhaps, you’d want to dance with me.”

She took a deep breath and watched as Draco tilted his head and smirked. Handing his drink off to Blaise, he grabbed Y/N’s hand and led her to where others were dancing.

“That was awfully brave of you, Y/L/N.” He commented, looking directly into her eyes.

“I was feeling epic.” Y/N responded and looked around. Dancing wasn’t really her thing and she had no idea why she had asked Draco to dance. She _really_ didn’t plan this out.

“Epic, huh? I like it.”

He smirked again and raised an eyebrow as the fast paced song died out and gave way to a much slower one. One of his hands slowly made it’s way to her hand as his other went down to her waist to pull her closer to him.

“I don’t know how to do this, Draco. I’ve never slow danced in my life.” Y/N muttered.

Draco chuckled and whispered into her ear, “That’s alright. Just follow me, it’s not too difficult… try and keep up, Ravenclaw.”  
  
Y/N took a deep breath and tried to relax. It wasn’t that she wasn’t confident, it was just that Draco Malfoy made her extremely nervous. He exuded this confidence and arrogance that just screamed, “if you touch me, you’ll regret it.” Y/N laid her forehead against his shoulder as he pulled her even closer.   
  
“Why are you being so nice to me? We’ve only talked a few times in classes and we’re definitely not friends. You could have humiliated me back there when I asked you to dance… why didn’t you?” she asked as he spun them around slowly. His hand let go of hers and he placed it on the small of her back. Both of her hands rested on his chest.

“Contrary to popular belief, I’m not a total ass. Plus, you had so much confidence back there and I couldn’t help but to say yes. You’re sexy as hell when you’re so confident.” He replied.

They stopped spinning and Y/N’s head snapped up to look the boy in the eye. He couldn’t mean that, could he? This was a joke. But the look on Draco’s face told her that he just might very well be serious. She tilted her head and played along.

“Well, Malfoy, I could’ve sworn you had a girlfriend…or two… or three. Maybe five? How many girls follow Pansy following you around?”  
  
He chuckled and shook his head. He started to slowly spin them again, avoiding her last comment. She wasn’t having any of that though and continued to look the Slytherin prince in the eye.  
  
“What _is_ your status, Malfoy? Are you single?”

“Yes.”

“Are you trying to keep it that way?”  
  
“Not particularly, no.”

“Well then, you can tell Pansy and her girl gang to back off. Because I’m calling dibs on you, Draco Malfoy.”  
  
Draco chuckled at the thought of telling Pansy to back off. He’d done it several times, the girl just did not care. She insisted that Draco was fond of her and in reality he couldn’t stand her. The Slytherin prince had always had his eye on someone else. That someone else was standing in front of him and offering him something he’d wanted since the moment he saw her first year.

“You think she’ll listen to me if I tell her you called dibs on me? Do you know Pansy at all?” he asked. The slow song continued to play in the silence between the two. Finally, Y/N cracked a smile.  
  
“Of course I don’t think she’ll listen to you. Are you free Friday night? I have nowhere to be if you’d like to do something.”

“I think that sounds alright. Although, aren’t I supposed to be the one asking you out?” he replied.

“Actually, yes, you are supposed to be the one asking me out. But apparently, you didn’t have enough nerve to. You should have also been the one to ask me to dance, but here we are…” she trailed off leaving a comfortable silence.

The two danced and hung out with each other for the rest of the night. They made plans to travel to Hogsmeade together for Friday night. Y/N left the party with Y/F/N happily explaining what exactly had happened that night.

The next few days seemed to drag on. Y/N couldn’t focus in class. All she could think about was the fact she had Draco Malfoy’s attention that entire night of the party. He didn’t glance in the direction of his friends once and made zero excuses to leave. If this was a joke, he was really committed to it.

The two teens exchanged flirty looks in-between classes and even flirtier remarks in classes. The entire student body was sick of the two constantly flirting — and Y/N had to admit that if she was the one in the middle of a flirty conversation in Charms class, she wouldn’t be too thrilled either. What the student body was thrilled about, however, was the fact the Draco seemed to be leaving everyone alone — even famous Harry Potter.

The day had finally arrived. Y/N Y/L/N and Draco Malfoy were going on their first date.

Y/N got ready with an anxious energy. While she was ecstatic to be going on a date with Draco, she also had to remember that he was cruel and this could turn out to be a joke. There was no reason for him to humiliate her, but it’s not like that ever stopped him from picking on anyone else.

As she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, she took a deep breath. Y/N made her way over to the mirror by the bedroom door.

Something was missing.

She narrowed her eyes until they fell on her lips.

Lipstick.

She slowly applied the red liquid to her lips and took a step back. Smoothing down her hair and clothes, Y/N decided to leave before she could find anything else she could pick apart and change. If she didn’t leave then, she would’ve been late anyway.

Hogsmeade turned out to be a dream come true. Their first stop was The Three Broomsticks to grab a few bottles of butterbeer. They sat there for a few hours talking about their families and how they grew up.

While Draco’s parents drilled it into him that being a Slytherin was the right way and the only way, Y/N’s parents had taught her a different approach. Her dad had been a Slytherin while her mother had been a Ravenclaw. They’d told her that no matter what house she was put into, it didn’t really matter. She was just lucky and privileged enough to even go to school.

There were many more differences in how the two grew up. Not only were Y/N’s parents more relaxed on school work and magic, but they also didn’t believe in having house elves. Draco had snorted at this and asked her how exactly they kept their house clean. Y/N gave him an incredulous look and told him that everyone just kept their own area of the house clean and in turn, nothing was ever really disheveled. Draco thought it was pointless to do work yourself when you had house elves who could do it for you.

From The Three Broomsticks, the pair made their way to Honeydukes. Draco wasn’t the biggest fan of sweets and neither was Y/N, but they grabbed a few chocolate frogs and a box of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans.

After exiting the candy shop, Draco suggested they take a seat on a nearby bench so they could test some of the jellybean flavors. Most of the candies Draco pulled were disgusting and he ended up spitting half of them on the ground. Y/N thought it was hilarious that Draco kept picking bad ones while she was managing to pick all of the good tasting ones.   
  
“So, Y/N, do you think we’ll be going on another date some time soon? I’ve really enjoyed our day here… and I wouldn’t mind hanging out with you more often.” Draco smirked.

Y/N leaned forward to kiss the boy on his cheek, leaving a lipstick mark just below his cheekbone.

“I’d love to spend more time with you. Of course I’ll go on another date, Draco.”


	27. Heaven

Getting involved with Draco Malfoy was never Y/N’s plan. Ever. She’d thought he was her sworn enemy - considering she was in Gryffindor and friends with the Golden Trio. It was written in the stars for her to hate the platinum haired boy - until she didn’t.

It was all to blame on a summer night under a star filled sky at a ball in Malfoy Manor.

Y/N usually wasn’t one to go to these types of things and she usually didn’t have to. However, her parents decided she needed a friend circle outside of the three Gryffindors she usually hung out with and unfortunately, they decided Draco Malfoy might be the perfect fit. They had no idea the two of them were rivals - not only in houses, but their personalities just clashed too much - well, ever since first year, they did. They were total opposites now. Not to mention Y/N thought Draco was the biggest bully Hogwarts had ever had.

She did have to admit though, that there was a certain allure to the boy. With his porcelain skin and platinum hair, he definitely stood out from all of the others in Hogwarts. And while she thought he was a huge bully, she - like most girls - couldn’t get over the fact that Draco Malfoy was indeed attractive.

So here she was, stuck at a ball she didn’t want to be at, with her parents expecting her to come out of it being best friends with the guy she hated most at Hogwarts. She could lie, couldn’t she? It’d be easy. It wasn’t like her parents were paying attention to her and -

“Hi.” A deep voice interrupted her thoughts and she looked at the person to her left.

“What? Nothing insulting to say tonight?” she asked him.

“The night is still young, Y/L/N.” Draco leaned over to whisper in her ear. She scoffed and turned to make her way to the drinks table.

Before she could get too far, Draco grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the dance floor.

“Why do you hate me so much?” he asked as he placed her hands around his neck and his on her waist.

“Have you met you?” she questioned and her eyes scanned the room behind him, looking anywhere but into his ocean blue eyes. She saw him purse his lips and sigh.

“I know it may seem like I’m an asshole, but you’ve never even tried to get to know me!” he accused.

“Draco Malfoy, that may be the biggest lie you’ve ever told. We were best friends until we went to Hogwarts where you decided not to speak to me because I was placed in Gryffindor. Then, I had no choice but to make friends with the people around me. You ignored me and blew me off. We’re 15 now, and you’re still acting like we’re 11. We’re not. Get over yourself.” 

She lightly pushed the boy away from her and quickly walked away. She wasn’t sure where exactly she was going, she just knew she was desperate enough to want to be anywhere but here. She followed twists and turns of hallways and while she basically grew up in this house, she wasn’t sure where she was at this point…

Until she saw the magnificent black double doors that she knew led to the rose garden.

She’d spent hours out here when she was a child and her parents forced her to come with them while they “had tea” with Draco’s parents.

She knew her parents had been disappointed when she wrote to them at age 11 telling them she’d been placed in Gryffindor. She was the first in her family to not be placed in Slytherin. While she was thankful that her parents were nicer than Draco’s, she always knew they hated that she’d ended up in Gryffindor and friends with the Golden Trio. Y/N also knew that was why she was here tonight. They wanted her to reconnect with Draco - for whatever reason.

All that Y/N’s parents knew about their friendship was that it just kind of fell out after their first year at Hogwarts and while Y/N was okay with it, her parents never seemed to be. But they didn’t know that they were enemies specifically because of actions Draco had taken that first year. He’d made her feel awful about herself.

He’d made fun of her looks. He’d made fun of her house she’d been placed in. He’d called her nasty names and worst of all, was when he started to completely ignore her. She’d tried so hard to remain friends with Draco, but he soon got caught up in the “bad boy” reputation he’d gained and he never looked back. He left her behind and, perhaps, that was what hurt the most.

She’d made her way into the dead center of the garden where there were beautiful fountains and benches. She sat down on one of the benches and stared up at the stars. They seemed to be taunting her as they shined so bright, while she felt so dull. Someone clearing their throat interrupted her thoughts for the second time that night.

“I know you hate me and you have no reason to hear me out, but I’d appreciate it if you did.”   
With a small smile, Draco made his way over to sit next to Y/N. He tilted his head and his smile turned into a scowl. He wasn’t sure where to start.

“Look, what happened first year… I was stupid. I don’t know what exactly happened, but you got placed in Gryffindor and I didn’t know how to feel about it. I’ve been raised to hate them my whole life and -”

“Yeah, how do you think I felt?” she interrupted. He narrowed his eyes at her while she raised an eyebrow back. She knew he hated being interrupted, but she couldn’t help herself.

“And then my best friend in the entire world got placed in my rival house and I knew we couldn’t be friends anymore. Slytherins and Gryffindors aren’t friends - well, a Malfoy Slytherin isn’t friends with Gryffindors. I didn’t know how to act around you and I had been raised to hate people like you, but I just remember that I couldn’t find myself hating you. So, I started making fun of you like I did with Potter and Weasley. I didn’t know what else to do. Looking back… I just- I just- I’m so so sorry, Y/N. You’ve never deserved to be treated like that. I know why you hate me.” Draco finished and set his elbows on the back of the bench.

He looked up at the stars and wondered why they had it so good while he was sitting here feeling like a fool. He’d always regretted the actions he’d taken at age 11. And he wished the consequences hadn’t been as harsh as losing the best friend he’d ever had.

“Draco… I hate that I don’t hate you. I never have. Have I claimed that it was written in the stars for us to be enemies? Of course, but I had every reason to. When you started to ignore me and it seemed like you never had a second thought about me, that was what hurt me the most. I understood you felt like you needed to live up to the “bad boy” reputation you were gaining, but i just thought you’d be able to take me along with you.” She sighed and followed Draco’s stare up at the stars.

The two were silent for what seemed like hours as they watched the clouds roll in and cover the stars they’d been staring at.. The faint sounds of the party drifted out to them occasionally, but that was the only sound other than their breathing. It wasn’t an awkward silence, it was comfortable - like the two of them had to get use to being next to each other again.

“I’ve always liked you, you know.” Draco whispered as he tilted his head towards Y/N. She turned to look at him and smirked.

“Oh, really?” she responded as she rolled her eyes. He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear as he breathed a response of “yeah.”

“And how does your bad boy Slytherin squad feel about that?” she asked.

“Like they know,” he scoffed and continued. “No one knows about it and if something ever comes out of it, no one ever will, still. I can’t be seen with a Gryffindor, you know that. It’s only acceptable around our families. People at school would go mad if they saw we were friends or, heaven forbid, something more.”

What came out of Y/N’s mouth next, she knew she shouldn’t have said, but she did anyway.

“Why would they have to know?”

She wasn’t sure why she said it, just that she did. And she knew keeping a relationship a secret was a bad idea, but the fact of the matter was, she’d liked Draco for a very long time. Even when she hated him the most, there was still an attraction to him that she didn’t understand. Maybe it was written in the stars for them to be more than friends and maybe that meant a romantic relationship instead of being enemies and hating each other.

“Are you saying you’d want to be something more or just friends?” Draco worded his question carefully. He’d liked Y/N for a long time and, perhaps, that’s why he’d thought it easier to ignore her instead of picking on her like Potter, Weasley, and Granger.

She took a deep breath and said, “Something more.”

Draco smirked and glanced around the garden. It wasn’t like there were many Hogwarts students here at the Manor tonight, and none of them knew how to get out to the rose garden, but he knew he could never be too cautious.

He turned back to Y/N after determining the coast was clear and leaned in. At that moment though, as a cruel twist of fate - or maybe a lucky twist of fate - the sky opened up and poured down rain. Y/N laughed as Draco grabbed her hand and ran with her back to the Manor.

Their laughs echoed in the empty hallways as they made their way upstairs and to Draco’s room. Draco closed his bedroom door and walked over to his closet. There was no way either of them were going to stay in wet clothes.

They both felt that what was strange about the entire situation was they both felt at ease. It was like they were young again and nothing had changed. There was no awkward vibe and there was certainly no tension.

Draco tossed Y/N a pair of sweatpants and his favorite Slytherin t-shirt. Her laugh echoed through the room and added to the pounding rain on his windows.

“I’m not wearing this. I’m very loyal to my house, Mr. Malfoy.” she said. Draco crossed the room to stand in front of her.

“It’s weird that you’re standing in my room right now. I thought you hated me, and I’m sure some part of you does, but I just can’t believe that it was so easy for you to forgive me for the awful things I put you through. Are you sure this isn’t me pressuring you into something? I’m not saying that I’m doing that, I just -”

Y/N interrupted Draco for the second time tonight, except this time, it was a much more enjoyable way of interrupting someone.

Her lips crashed into his and she tangled her hands in his wet hair. He didn’t move for a second and as she was about to pull away, his arms circled her waist and he deepened the kiss. She felt herself backing up until the back of her knees hit the edge of his bed and they fell into the mattress. They continued kissing until the door clicked open and light poured into the room. The two jumped apart and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Oh, I was looking for you two. Good. Draco, your father and I would like you to come say goodbye to our guests. Put on something dry - both of you. Y/N, your parents are looking for you downstairs.” Narcissa glanced at the two before taking the stairs back down to the dying party.

As Narcissa’s footsteps retreated, Y/N’s hands covered her face and her laugh filled the room again. Draco chuckled as he stood and grabbed the clothes that Y/N had previously dropped moments before. He handed them to her while nodding towards the bathroom attached to his bedroom.

The rest of the long - or maybe too short - summer months were spent in whispers and stolen kisses in a dark bedroom that belonged to a platinum haired boy. While the Gryffindor girl wasn’t quite sure if she had totally forgiven the boy yet, she knew that what had happened during those summer months was fun. And fun wasn’t something she’d had in awhile. So she welcomed it.

Going back to Hogwarts soon approached and the two agreed to say their “goodbyes” where it all began.

“Remember, Y/N, this is a secret. We tell no one.” Draco reminded the girl as they stood in front of the Manor. He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and leaned down so he was eye level with her.

“I know, Draco. Trust me, I’m not telling a soul.” she smirked and gave the boy a quick kiss on the lips.

He winked as he turned around and started walking away. Y/N watched as he retreated to where his parents were waiting for him. While she knew nothing was certain, she did know, in that moment, that she would do absolutely anything for Draco Malfoy.


	28. Better

Walking through the halls of an empty Hogwarts was peaceful to Draco. Everyone was at the first quidditch match of the season - and Draco wasn’t. This was the first match he’d ever missed and it was all because he’d been given a highly important task that he wasn’t sure he even wanted. He had no choice but to accept though. He - and he alone - was the only one who could do it.

Draco was too lost in his thoughts to notice that someone else had ditched the first match of the season. And unfortunately - or maybe fortunately - he ran into her, knocking her on the cold stone floor. 

Sitting on the cold floor, Y/N looked up at the culprit who had knocked her down. The platinum haired boy stared at her with wide eyes. His hand immediately shot out to her. 

“I should really watch where I’m going. I apologize.” she said and took the hand that Draco had offered her. 

“Don’t worry about it. I wasn’t watching where I was going either.” he chuckled. They stood in an awkward silence for a few seconds before Y/N excused herself with a small smile and continued on her way. Draco continued on his way to the seventh floor, but with something - or someone - new on his mind. 

A few weeks passed and Draco hadn’t seen the girl since. It wasn’t like he was always on the lookout for her, but he’d definitely asked a few of her housemates about her. They had looked at Draco like he was insane. Just when he thought he actually might be a little crazy, he spotted her in the Great Hall. 

Her head was bent over a book and she had her hair tucked behind her ears. Her arms her crossed and her bottom lip was caught between her teeth. Draco took a deep breath and started into the Great Hall. As determined as he was, something more important - or maybe not, Draco couldn’t decide - was unfolding in front of his eyes. 

Harry Potter had rushed up from his seat and ran to where Katie Bell was standing and conversing with her friends. Draco knew exactly what was happening. Harry Potter wasn’t stupid and Draco knew anything bad that happened, he was always the first one Potter would blame. As much as Draco wanted to continue on towards the mysterious girl, he knew Potter would be coming after him any second.

So, Draco did what he did best - he ran. Struck with panic that Potter somehow knew exactly what had happened, Draco felt a sudden change in his breathing. His tie was too tight and his sweater vest was too hot. He was walking fast now, but he could hear footsteps following him. 

As much as Y/N didn’t want to know what Draco Malfoy was up to, she couldn’t get the image of his panic stricken face out of her head. She’d looked around the Great Hall for just a moment, but she couldn’t miss the tall platinum haired boy and his fast retreat out of the room. Her suspicions rose when none other than Harry Potter himself followed after him. Everyone knew that those two together equaled trouble and while she didn’t know Draco well, she couldn’t help but feel bad for him. So she followed both of them.

Draco finally made his way into the bathroom. His hands were shaking and he couldn’t breathe. It was a strange sensation that he wasn’t sure he’d ever felt before. Pulling his sweater vest off and splashing water on his face, Draco looked into the mirror. It was all too much - all of it. He didn’t want to do this - any of it. 

And if he could start all over, he wasn’t sure he’d curse that necklace Katie Bell had anyways. That was a dangerous and reckless move. It was an accident. As his thoughts began to overlap and build, he spotted a figure behind him in the mirror.

Y/N had a hard time keeping up with the boys. They were much taller than her and could walk much faster. So, when she came around a hallway corner and saw neither boy, she slowed her walk. 

“Maybe they went the other way,” she thought, pursing her lips.

But as she turned, a loud crash of what sounded like glass resonated through the halls. As she ran towards the sound, she realized it must have come from the nearest boy’s bathroom. Her theory was proven to be correct as she spotted water coming from the entrance.

“Sectumsempra!” she heard what sounded like Harry shout. With the sound of silence filling the hall, she sprinted into the bathroom to find Draco on the floor. Blood was seeping through his pristine white shirt. Her eyes grew wide and locked with Harry’s as her hand came over her mouth. 

Harry looked from her to Draco with a look of shock on his own face. His attention went to Professor Snape as he rushed into the bathroom. While Snape muttered a spell that seemed to fix what Harry had done, Harry seemed to sneak his way out of the bathroom.

Y/N thought about following him, but she felt like she needed to stay and let Snape know what had happened - or what she had heard happen. Some part of her also wanted to stay because she knew Draco didn’t have many friends and maybe - even though they’d only bumped into each other once - she was the closest thing he had right now. 

Draco awoke in a bright room. He shut his eyes as realized just how bright it was and groaned when the pain hit him. What Potter had done to him was inexcusable and fueled his hatred towards the boy who lived. If Draco had his way, famous Harry Potter wouldn’t be living for too much longer. 

Draco finally opened his eyes and saw a curious sight to his right. It was the girl he’d bumped into weeks ago. She was slumped in a chair with a book close to her face. Her legs were stretched in front of her and crossed at the ankles. Her bottom lip was caught between her teeth just like it had been when he saw her in the Great Hall. Draco furrowed his brow and cleared his throat. She turned to look at him.

“Why are you here?” he asked. Her eyebrows shot up to her forehead.

“I’m sorry, do you not want me here? Because I can totally leave and actually attend class.” she quipped and bent to put her book in her bag. 

“No! I just - we don’t know each other. It seems odd that you would be here waiting for me to wake up.” 

“Well, Draco Malfoy, do you find it odd that someone would want to make sure you’re alright?”

“Maybe.”

Draco sighed and watched as she pulled her bag onto her shoulder. As she got up, she leaned down to whisper in his ear.

“Maybe you should let people in to see the real you, Malfoy. I don’t believe that you’re a mean person under it all. I think it’s an act. I think you like impressing people.” She quickly kissed his cheek and retreated from the Hospital Wing, leaving the Slytherin Prince confused.

As weeks passed, Draco couldn’t seem to get Y/N - he’d learned her name from Pansy - out of his thoughts. She hadn’t been back to visit him since the day that he’d woken up and unfortunately he was stuck in his hospital bed. He’d sent Blaise and Pansy and even Crabbe and Goyle to summon her to the Hospital Wing, but she’d never shown up.

Until one day, when Draco had given up and told his crew to leave her alone, did she show up. 

“I do not like being summoned, Malfoy.” she hissed as she sat in the chair by his bedside. Draco shot up to a sitting position - he’d regret that later - and looked at her. Her lips were painted a pretty red color and her hair was messily piled on top of her head with a few pieces hanging down by her face. Y/N’s tie hung loosely around her neck. 

“I apologize. I just - I just wanted to talk to you more. You said I should let more people in and that’s what I was trying to do. I didn’t realize you were deaf and couldn’t follow instructions.” he sneered. Y/N’s left eyebrow raised and she crossed her arms. He wasn’t sure he meant it, but it was hard to turn off his defensive side around people he didn’t know too well - even pretty girls.

“That’s offensive. And,” she continued. “If you’re going to act like this and treat me like the ground beneath your shoes, I will leave and I won’t come back.”

Draco heaved a sigh and looked down at his hands. He popped his knuckles while deciding where exactly he should start his story. 

“Well, I guess I can start with-”

“You can trust me.” she interrupted. Draco’s head shot up and he looked into her E/C eyes. He nodded and began to tell his story.

Draco wasn’t sure why he’d told her _everything_ , but he had and you can’t take back words that have already fallen from your lips. 

“Do you,” she paused. “Do you want to be a Death Eater?” 

Draco sighed. He wasn’t sure and every time he talked to this girl, he questioned everything. She was being so nice to him and he knew he didn’t deserve it. They hardly knew each other, yet here she was, keeping him company, when most of his “friends” had only stayed for a few minutes at most. She’d sat and listened to him and asked him questions nobody had ever asked him before, like this most recent question.

“I thought I did, but I don’t know anymore… I’m a Malfoy… I have to be evil, don’t I?” he asked. 

“Draco, I’ve watched you for a long time and I don’t believe you’re pure evil. I know there’s good somewhere in your heart. I’ve seen you help first year Slytherins find their way to classes. I’ve watched you console Pansy as she’s cried on your shoulder. I continue to hear bad things about you, but I’ve seen you do so many good things. You’re not evil, Draco. It seems to me that you’re just trying to fit in and impress your father.” She made eye contact with Draco and relief flooded through him. No one had ever made him feel like he didn’t have to be what his father was - abusive and vindictive.

He wasn’t sure why he felt so comfortable with her, but he did. She seemed to be one that told the truth - no matter how harsh - and Draco admired that. He liked that she didn’t seem to be intimidated by him like so many others. The thought crossed his mind on why he hadn’t noticed her before. Before he could ask, she smirked and opened her mouth to speak.

“Just so you know, Potter did get in trouble for what he did to you. He’s serving multiple detentions with Professor Snape.” 

Draco smirked back at her as she pulled a book from her bag. He spent the rest of their night together asking questions about her life. 

When Draco Malfoy left the Hospital Wing, it wasn’t because Madam Pomfrey wanted him to. He fought with her to leave, stating that if he had any problems, he’d be sure to immediately come back to her. After arguments were thrown back and forth, the one that got him out was Y/N. He’d told Madam Pomfrey that he wanted to take her on a date and treat her properly and, with a sigh, the nurse told him he could leave.

Draco wasn’t too sure if what he’d told her was a lie or not. While he did think Y/N was beautiful, he also didn’t want to rush things and he really didn’t want to force her into his crazy world. As he began looking for her, he noticed a H/C headed out into the pouring rain. 

“Y/N!” he shouted and followed her out into the rain. She stopped, but didn’t turn, as she waited for him to catch up.

“Hello, Draco. I’m surprised you made it out of the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey told me she wasn’t letting you go for another week. What changed?” she questioned as she squinted up at the sky. 

“I’m a _Slytherin_ , Y/N! Come on.” he joked as he nudged her shoulder with his own. She laughed and turned to face him. 

“Well, however you did it, I’m glad you’re out.” Her E/C eyes peered up at his blue ones. 

“So am I. Why are we out in the rain?” he asked and took a step closer to her.

“I saw you before you saw me. I wasn’t sure you’d follow me out here, but I had to see if the famous Draco Malfoy would ruin his also famous hairdo. Plus, I like standing in the rain sometimes. It’s a weird quirk of mine, I suppose.” 

She shoved her hands into her coat. Draco shrugged and grinned at the girl in front of him. 

“You make me a better person. Apparently, I like trying new things.” he answered.

“Oh, really?” she smirked. Draco took another step closer to her. His hands lightly grabbed hers and he thought she would pull back, but she didn’t.

She could feel his hot breath on her face and she was so glad that his breath smelled like mint. She also took notice of an expensive smelling cologne. His nose touched hers and she willed herself not to close her eyes. 

“Yeah, like this.” he whispered and his lips met hers.

Draco sometimes felt as though he was watching his own life pass by, but with Y/N he was beginning to think that maybe he could stop and admire the beauty of the world - sometimes. He also thought that maybe they were moving a bit too fast, but Draco had decided he liked fast. 


	29. r.e.m

Sunlight shined through in between the dark curtains of Draco Malfoy’s bedroom windows. It scattered across the white carpet and pooled on the pillows of his bed. Draco turned away from the violent light source. He wasn’t keen on being up too early and he was focused on getting as much sleep as he could. He flung his arm out to the side and instead of hitting a cold empty bed, his arm fell into a warm body. **  
**

Draco’s eyes shot open, and as he spotted the H/C curled next him, his memory went back to the events of last night.

Draco stood in the corner of the ballroom of Malfoy Manor. He loved his parents - he did - but he knew this was just a plot to find him a future wife. It had been four years since the war, and with Draco being 21, his parents were insisting that he settle down and start a family. Draco didn’t necessarily agree, but he didn’t disagree either. He just wanted to wait a few more years before actually getting married and thinking about children.

Despite the trials the Malfoys had faced, there were very few people who seemed to care as there had to be hundreds of people filling the Manor.

As the girls in front of him droned on about some ball they’d attended last week, he couldn’t help it as his eyes wandered around the room. His eyes caught sight of a familiar H/C wearing a short black dress and he couldn’t seem to look away. She was captivating. Draco forced his eyes back to the girls in front of him.

While Y/N had caught sight of Draco the moment he’d looked at her, she figured she’d make him suffer a bit more. She could see the bored expression on his face and she had spent several years knowing that meant he’d rather be anywhere else than where he was right now. Y/N and Draco had been friends through their years at Hogwarts until they had lost contact when he chose - in her opinion - the wrong side during their sixth year.

When she’d gotten the invite to attend this ball, she’d contemplated the idea for a long time. But when her mother showed up at her house and told her she had no choice but to go, Y/N couldn’t argue with that. And she’d been longing to reconnect with Draco because if she was being honest with herself, she’d always had a tiny crush on the boy, but even more than that, she missed his friendship and their late night conversations of trying to figure out life.

She watched from across the room as Draco ran a hand through his hair. Y/N took a deep breath and downed the rest of her champagne. Placing it on a tray as a waiter walked by, she wiped her sweaty palms on the dress that clung to her curves. Y/N pushed her way through the crowd and eventually through the girls surrounding Draco.

“Excuse me, um I-I need to speak with you - privately.” were the first words to come out of her mouth. Draco’s head - which had previously been looking at whatever it was he found fascinating on the ground - snapped up.

Y/N saw the arrogance in the smirk that came across his face. She recognized the fifteen year old Draco Malfoy that she had known so well - all superiority and ego. With a wave of his hand, the girls dispersed and she found herself alone with him. Before she could process anything, his arms were around her waist. She slowly hugged the boy man in front of her.

“I’m glad you came, I didn’t think you would make it.” he whispered in her ear. A chill struck Y/N’s back and she involuntarily shivered.

“You can thank my mother.” she breathed and pulled away from the somewhat stranger in front of her.

Draco’s blue eyes sparkled under the lights of the multiple chandeliers in the ballroom. He was sporting scruff on his chin, but you could only tell when the lights hit his face just right. He looked a lot healthier than when she’d seen him last - at his trials. They still hadn’t spoken at that point, but Y/N felt that she had to be there for him.

“How have you been?” he asked, still holding her waist, but at arm’s length.

“I’ve been alright. This is so weird - talking to you again. I feel awkward.” Her hands settled on the lapels of his suit jacket.

“I apologize. You should have been the first person I made amends with, Y/N. I didn’t think you’d want to speak with me though. We didn’t leave off on necessarily good terms. I wish we’d never went our separate ways. I shouldn’t have pushed you away when I needed you the most.”

“I forgive you, Draco. We were sixteen and we made stupid mistakes. It’s all in the past, I promise. I’m ready to have my best friend back.”

Draco smiled at this. He grabbed both of Y/N’s hands and pulled her towards two large doors.

“Do you want to get out of here? We can catch up over a cup of tea or something.” he questioned, while trying to pull her out into the night.   
  
“Draco, this is your party and -”

“And what about it?”

Draco raised an eyebrow and flashed her his infamous smirk. She sighed and let him pull her out into the chilly night air. While she wished he would have at least pulled them out the front door so she could stop off and grab her coat, she couldn’t complain too much when he was willing to just forget anything happened between the two.

Y/N opened her eyes to a bright room and a set of blue eyes staring into her E/C ones. She smirked at the platinum haired boy lying next to her and buried her face into the pillows. Draco let out a soft laugh and stretched his arms over his head.

“Is this real? It all feels like such a dream.” Y/N smiled as she turned her head back towards Draco.

“It seems to be real. Although, to be fair, I’ve felt like I’ve been in a dream since I spotted you at the party last night. I truly didn’t think you’d come.” he answered as his arms settled behind his head.

“Like I said last night, my mother basically forced me to come. I had no choice in the matter. I am glad I made it though. It’s been so nice to be around you again. I didn’t realize how much I honestly missed you before you hugged me last night. Being with you just feels right.” Y/N stifled a yawn as she finished her sentence.

“Do you want to get breakfast? A few of the house elves volunteered to stay behind when we let them all go and they make a few good breakfast options. You don’t have to, I just thought - “  
  
“Draco, shut up. I’m starving, let’s go.”

Y/N and Draco ate breakfast in a comfortable silence and were grateful that they’d seemed to miss his parents at the breakfast table. Neither one of them really wanted to explain why she was sitting at their table in Draco’s pajamas. However, a few minutes after they both finished breakfast, the aforementioned parents strolled into the dining room.

“Y/N. What a lovely surprise!” Narcissa smirked as she locked eyes with the girl who had shrunk down in her chair.

“Hi, Mrs. Malfoy.” the girl replied and tried to hide her blush by looking down at her hands in her lap.

After an awkward explanation of the fact that she’d only stayed last night because she and Draco had fallen asleep talking, his parents announced they’d be gone on holiday for a couple of weeks and that Y/N should stay and keep Draco company. When Y/N opened her mouth to decline, Draco opened his to agree with his parents. He’d said that her company would be welcome and he’d love to keep the momentum going on their rekindled friendship. Y/N felt she had no choice but to agree with him. The thought of leaving him soon was not a happy one.

Weeks of spending almost every moment together turned into months. Their rekindled friendship turned into flirty comments and stolen kisses in dark hallways. Rooming together at Malfoy Manor turned into living together in a house of their own.

Two Years Later

“What are you doing for the next month?” Draco asked as Y/N stood in the bathroom putting her makeup on for their date night. He watched as she squinted at her reflection and applied another layer of red lipstick.

“I’m sure I’m spending it with you. What an odd question.” she laughed and turned on her heel to walk towards her boyfriend.

“Do you want to go to Paris? We could leave right now.”

Y/N stopped in her tracks. She’d loved Paris since she was a kid, but she’d never gotten the chance to go. Her dreams consisted of visits to the Eiffel Tower and brunches at small Parisian cafes. She’d kill to visit the museums throughout Paris and while she loved every single thing about the city of love, the Eiffel Tower had her heart. It sounded cliche, and she had no idea why she was so drawn to the tower, but she knew Draco knew she’d snatch up any opportunity to go chase her dream.

“Let’s get through date night. We’ll come home and pack and then apparate there in the morning. Draco, I don’t know how you continue to surprise me, but I’m so grateful for you every day.” She kissed his cheek and dragged him through the front door and out to their date.

The next morning - or technically afternoon, the two very much liked to sleep in - they apparated to their destination. After taking several minutes to process the incredible sights and sounds of the city, Y/N dragged Draco through the crowds. After going in and out of several sweets shops for hours, Draco made an executive decision to head to the Eiffel Tower once it started getting dark.

He’d heard from several of his friends where the best, most quiet place was to watch the tower light up at night. Being the wizards they were, they could get into and out of literally any place they wanted. So, Draco apparated with Y/N up to the top of a building close to the tower.

Y/N’s hands immediately went up to her face. Paris was even more beautiful from above. She watched as the lights over the city started to turn on as the sky got darker. She owed Draco so much. He’d done so much for her in the last two years and even before that when they’d been in school at Hogwarts. There was no possible way she could thank Draco for making her dreams come true.

Draco watched as Y/N took in the views of the city. She’d flung herself to the side wall of concrete on the roof and she looked like a puppy who didn’t know which treat to go after first. He loved that about her - that she still got excited about so many things. She was excited about life and while Draco had been in a deep depression after the war, there was absolutely no way to stay in a depressive state when Y/N was around. He gripped the small box in this jacket pocket as the lights of the tower finally came on.

As Y/N turned around to look at Draco, he got down on one knee.

“Y/N, these past few years with you have been the most incredible ones of my life. You stuck with me when I was a jerk back in school, even when you probably shouldn’t have. I know I pushed you away when we were sixteen, but I’m so glad you found your way back to me. I know you’re my soulmate. I’ve never been sure about anything in my life, but you, I’ve always been sure of you. Even when we were kids, I knew you were someone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. So, Y/N, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”


	30. boyfriend

“Quit wasting your time with him, Y/N.” Avery whispered to the Y/H/C girl sitting next to her.

Y/N stared at a certain platinum haired boy from across the Great Hall. He had thrown his head back in a fit of laughter that echoed through the nearly empty room. Y/N watched as the boy let Pansy Parkinson hang on his arm. Pansy’s face was a little too close to his for Y/N’s liking. 

The holidays had approached quickly and Y/N had opted to stay at Hogwarts with her group of friends. She had other reasons for staying - and that reason had just locked eyes with her. Y/N watched as the boy across the room smirked and tilted his head ever so slightly towards the door. She nodded once and glanced around at her friends.

“You don’t understand, Avery.” Y/N muttered and moved to exit, but Avery grabbed her arm.  
  
“He’s never going to notice you… and maybe that’s for the best. Draco Malfoy is not a person you want to associate yourself with, Y/N.”  
  
“You don’t know anything.” Y/N pulled her arm from Avery’s grasp and left her friends to no doubt talk about her.

Exiting the Great Hall, she carefully made her way up the moving staircases and to the sixth floor. She stopped by a small portrait of the ocean. The waves crashed into a ship struggling to stay afloat. Y/N felt like she could relate and couldn’t help but think that maybe Avery had a small point.

This thing with Draco had been going on for a few months. There were whispered conversations and stolen kisses. They’d chosen to keep what they had a secret. Not that either of them didn’t want to show the other off, but they’d agreed that they didn’t want the pressure of the title of “boyfriend” and “girlfriend.” While that seemed like a good idea at the start, she couldn’t help but feel jealous when he was around other girls. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by arms wrapping around her waist.

“Come here often?” a deep voice whispered in her ear. She couldn’t help the smile that graced her face as she turned around. 

“Yes, actually. I bring all my love interests up here.” Draco snorted as he leaned in to kiss Y/N. She turned her head at the last minute and his lips landed on her cheek.

“What’s wrong?” he pulled away and dropped his arms to his sides.

“First off, it was a joke. But since you asked, I just - I hate when I see you with other girls. I know we’re not dating, but shouldn’t we be? You don’t want me to see anybody else and I don’t want you to see anybody else either. What are we doing here?”

“You know I don’t want to be in a relationship right now. You also know that I’ve told you millions of times that you’re the only one for me.”

“I’m just confused as to what you want, Draco. I see you letting Pansy hang on you and flirt with you. You do nothing to stop it and you flirt back.”

Draco rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. Y/N hated when they fought like this - which seemed to be often these days - but she also knew she deserved something more. 

“I don’t flirt with Pansy because I don’t like her, Y/N. If you can’t handle what we have going, then I have no problem stopping it.”

“Neither do I.” Y/N replied. She turned away from him and headed back to her room. That conversation had not gone the way she wanted it to. 

A few days had passed and with Y/N and Draco both being equally stubborn, neither had talked to the other. Students had started arriving back at Hogwarts for the big New Years party. It was usually held in the Slytherin common room and while Y/N had managed to stay away from Draco thus far, she wasn’t confident that she’d be able to once alcohol was flowing through her veins. 

“Y/N, what are you wearing tonight?” Avery asked from her spot in front of their mirror. 

“I don’t even know if I’m going, to be completely honest. I kind of want to keep it low key tonight… we should just stay in and play games or something.” Y/N replied from her spot on her bed. She was laid back on a pillow and her eyes lazily scanned the pages of a book in front of her. Avery whipped her head around.

“You can’t be serious. This is an opportunity for us to get drunk off our asses and maybe make out with a few guys. Let loose. You know, normal teenager things. You’re going.” Avery said and made her way into Y/N’s closet. She shuffled around for a few minutes before throwing a small black dress at Y/N. 

“I told you I’m not going.” she mumbled, sitting up and putting her book on the table beside her. 

“I don’t know what’s been going on with you these past few days, but you need to get your head out of your ass. We’re going and you’re going to have fun whether you like it or not.”

Avery emerged from the closet and stared Y/N down. She grumbled and reluctantly moved from her spot on the bed. After throwing the black dress on and fighting with Avery on hair and makeup, the two girls finally made their way down to the party. 

It was dark - like always - but there were some colorful lights spinning around the room and a large disco ball spun in the ceiling of the center of the room. Y/N scanned the room for the familiar platinum hair and was successful in spotting him before he spotted her. 

Pansy was standing in front of him and had a hand on his arm. A wave of jealousy washed over Y/N. She could picture herself marching over there, pushing Pansy out of the way, and finally showing everyone that Draco Malfoy was all hers. 

She was snapped out of it by a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she was greeted by Blaise Zabini. He’d always been nice to her and whether that was because he secretly knew about her and Draco or whether he was genuinely her friend, Y/N didn’t care and was grateful to see a familiar face.

“Blaise!” she exclaimed and threw herself into his arms. 

“Y/N! How was your break?” he asked.

“It was… interesting. How was yours?” she pulled away and threw a glance in Draco’s direction. He was already intently staring at the two.

“It was good… Are you and Draco still together?” Blaise smirked and she hit him on the arm.

“We’re not together… and I don’t know what you’re talking about.” she tried to hold back a smile and glanced in Draco’s direction again. 

“Do you want a drink?” Blaise asked and Y/N nodded. She grabbed his arm so she wouldn’t lose him in the crowds of people and followed him to the mini bar. Leaning against the table, she easily spotted Draco again.

He was sitting on one of the couches. Pansy was still stuck to him like glue. Her mouth was by his ear and Y/N’s vision flashed red. Pansy placed a light kiss behind Draco’s ear and her mouth trailed down his jawline. Draco’s face was hard to read from so far away. He liked the attention - Y/N knew that.

Draco watched Y/N as she rolled her eyes and turned around at the mini bar. He hated not talking to her and feeling her touch. But he wasn’t one to give in so easily. Pansy could give him the attention he wanted and she didn’t expect anything else. Was she someone that he saw himself with for the rest of his life? Absolutely not. That entire scenario was Y/N. If he ended up with anyone in the future, it was going to be Y/N.

Blaise leaned in to whisper something in Y/N’s ear and Draco’s fists clenched. She wasn’t his. It didn’t make sense for him to be jealous. As much as Draco didn’t want to admit it, he could see why Y/N wanted them to be exclusive.   
  
Y/N didn’t want to admit it, but she liked making Draco jealous. And when she glanced behind her and saw his jaw set and fists clenched, she knew he was. She smiled at Blaise as he talked about how him and his mom had spent Christmas in Paris. She saw Draco gently shove Pansy off of him out of the corner of her eye. He stood and made his way closer to Y/N and Blaise.  
  
He stood next to Y/N, and Blaise smirked at her before saying his goodbyes and leaving the two alone.  
  
“Can I talk to you?” Draco mumbled and Y/N narrowed her eyes.   
  
“I suppose so.” she replied and Draco set his drink down. He grabbed her by the wrist and quickly led her up his dorm.   
  
He closed the door behind them and before Y/N knew it, her back was against the door. Draco’s nose touched hers and his eyes were closed. His arms were on either side of her head. Y/N could feel his hot breath fanning across her face. Her hands rested on his chest.   
  
“I’m sorry.” he whispered. Y/N moved her hands to the back of his head and played with his hair.

“Me too.” She nudged his nose with hers. His lips came crashing onto hers. His tongue glided along her lips and she happily answered the silent question. Draco’s lips tasted like the whiskey he’d been drinking before. And as much as Y/N was enjoying this, they had unresolved issues. She reluctantly pulled away. Grabbing his hand, she led him to the bed. 

“Blaise brought up a good point yesterday.” Draco said. “We like making each other jealous. We like the chase - or rather I like the chase. With the way we are right now, it doesn’t feel serious. And for me, I know that once we become exclusive then that’s it. We’ll get married and have kids - because let’s face it, I know we’ll be married one day - and we’ll have to be real adults. What we have right now is fun.” 

Y/N raised an eyebrow and thought for a minute. 

“Draco, as long as I have you, I don’t care about the labels. For me, boyfriend and girlfriend just solidify what we already have. Is it the future that scares you?”

Yes, because I know you’re it for me. I’m so in love with you it scares me and nothing has scared me quite like this. I’m scared you’ll leave. What if you come to your senses and realize I’m not good enough for you?”

Draco buried his head in Y/N’s neck.

“Draco Malfoy, don’t ever say that again. I love you, okay? No matter what sick, twisted game we’re playing with each other.”

“Do you wanna be my girlfriend?” he mumbled. Y/N smirked.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite hear you. What did you say?” she asked. Pushing her down, Draco lay on top of her.

“I said, you have the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen.” He grabbed her face with both of his hands and she grinned. A beat of silence passed before Y/N spoke again.

“So you think we’ll get married?” she teased. Draco groaned, knowing he would never live that comment down, before nodding his head.

“Of course I do.”


	31. sweetener

Draco Malfoy had a problem. He’d been struggling with a bit of insomnia since the school year had ended and summer had begun. He found himself watching the clock as one turned to two and two turned to five and before he knew it, he had to pull himself out of bed to begin another day. It didn’t bother him at first; however, as the weeks passed, he noticed the circles under his eyes growing darker and his will to actually get dressed and do something with his life grew smaller.

That was, until one day, he’d been informed by his parents that his long time best friend and her family were coming over for dinner. Although they lived a few houses down from each other, the Y/L/N’s had been on holiday for the first few weeks of summer and Draco had missed Y/N terribly.

Perhaps, he thought, maybe that was why his insomnia had gotten so bad.

As the time grew closer to dinner, Draco became very self aware of what he now looked like. Extremely exhausted was the only way to describe it. Underneath his eyes were dark half circles, which made his eyes appear sunken in, and he could not for the life of him get his hair to not stick up in several places. If it weren’t for him breathing and moving, he might have looked dead. Growing frustrated as time passed, he decided to embrace his new look and headed downstairs in his nicest suit.

Draco watched from the middle of the stairs as Y/N’s family filed into the Manor. Y/N looked even more beautiful than she did the last time he saw her. She looked healthy. She looked rested - something Draco could not relate to these days. Holidays tended to do that to her, though. She’d go away to a new city or country for a few weeks and Draco’s breath was always taken away when she came back. He watched as she smiled and hugged his parents. Deciding that he’d spent enough time being creepy, he took the last few steps down into the living room.

Y/N turned to him and he watched as her painted red lips parted and her jaw dropped. Her eyes traveled from his hair to his wrinkled shirt beneath his jacket. He tilted his head to the side as he stared at her.

“Draco Malfoy, you look awful.” she muttered and her arms wrapped around his neck.

“Thanks, Y/N. It’s nice to see you too.” he said and returned the hug. He watched from over her shoulder as their parents headed to the dining room in hushed whispers.

“What’s been going on with you? Why do you look like death?”

“I haven’t been sleeping well - if at all.”

Draco watched Y/N as she opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by his mother calling them for dinner.

As soon as the two families had caught up and eaten dinner, Draco and Y/N managed to sneak away from the table and onto a balcony far from the dining room. The wind brought goosebumps to both of them. Y/N flashed a shy smile at Draco as she leaned on the railing in front of her. He leaned an elbow on the railing, but was still facing her. Pulling a bottle of alcohol out from behind a plant, he placed it in front of her. Flashing him another shy smile, she twisted the cap off and took a swig. Making a face, she shoved the bottle back towards Draco.

“You drink that?” she asked.

“It’s not about the taste, Y/N. It’s about how it makes you feel.” he replied, while rolling his eyes.

“Well, it makes me feel awful.” She gave him a pointed look as he took two long sips from the bottle. “Draco, what’s wrong with you?”

“That’s a loaded question.” he sighed and continued. “If you must know, like I said earlier, I haven’t been able to sleep. I just watch the clock tick from hour to hour and I get maybe a few minutes of sleep, but then I’m awake again. Before I know it, it’s just time to get up and face another day.”

“That’s it? Well, it’s doing great things for your hair. It’s sticking up everywhere… Cute, really.” she smirked and he laughed, playfully shoving her. She stumbled and dropped her jaw. Draco rolled his eyes again, grabbed her hand, and kissed the top of it.

“Sorry, fair lady. Please forgive me.”

“I don’t know, Draco Malfoy. You could have seriously hurt me.” she smiled as he smirked into the distance.

“You can shove me back if it makes you feel any better.” he offered and stood in front of her with his arms out to his sides - almost like wings.

“I’m not a bully like you, you know.”

“Fine, suit yourself.” Draco threw a smirk in her direction once more before leaning his arms on the railing of the balcony.

The two sixteen year olds sat in a comfortable silence for several minutes. Each snuck secret glances at the other when they thought they weren’t looking.

Y/N had always had a small crush on the platinum haired boy to her right. They’d been friends since before birth and experienced every awkward stage of growing up together. She’d never done anything about her crush, telling herself that there was no way a guy like Draco Malfoy would ever want her in a romantic way. He’d also had a thing with Pansy their fourth year and she’d never really gotten over that hurt. Though, she couldn’t really contain her happiness when Draco informed her a few weeks after the Yule Ball that Pansy just wasn’t the girl for him.

Draco couldn’t get over the fact that his best friend looked so beautiful. Not that Draco wasn’t aware of the fact before, but there was something that must have happened on her holiday that made her even more beautiful. Perhaps, it was just because he hadn’t seen her in awhile. She looked healthier - happier, maybe. There was color in her cheeks and her skin was a slightly darker color than when he’d seen her weeks ago.

“Y/N. Would you - would you stay the night? Like you used to when we were younger? I missed you terribly while you were on holiday.” he whispered, looking up at the stars.

“Of course, Draco. Let me ask my parents and I’ll come back, okay?” She hesitantly kissed his cheek and headed back down to where they were sat just over an hour ago.

Her parents had no problem with her staying there, of course - as long as she slept in a different room. With her promising that she would - and that she’d be back at their house some time tomorrow - she gave each of them a quick hug goodbye and raced back up the stairs.

The pair didn’t get much sleep that night. It wasn’t until Y/N saw the sun peaking over the horizon and she heard soft snores next to her, did she realize they’d talked the entire night. She sat up in excitement as she realized the snores were coming from Draco. Smiling to herself, she settled back down and cuddled into him. Her eyes drifted shut and she sighed in content that she’d finally gotten Draco to sleep.

Eight hours later, Draco awoke to an awfully bright room. His arm was asleep and he grumbled as he tried to pull it from the heavy source. Stopping abruptly, he realized that Y/N was the one who had caused his arm to fall asleep. A small smile graced his face as he lay back down. Draco also came to a realization that he had slept - and for more than an hour or two.

Not caring how long Y/N herself had been sleeping, Draco shook her shoulder. When she only groaned and rolled over, he knew drastic measures needed to be taken. Gently climbing on top of her, his hands went straight to her stomach.

“Get up, Y/N! I have news!” Draco said excitedly. As much as Y/N didn’t want to open her eyes, she had no choice but to as Draco tickled her endlessly. She laughed and attempted to shove him off of her.

“You’re so heavy. Get off of me! What have you been eating? Rocks?” Y/N managed to shove Draco to the floor.

“Ouch. I was just about to share my good news with you, but I guess you’ll never know.”

Y/N rolled her eyes.

“Oh no, what ever shall I do?” she sighed and crawled off the bed to meet Draco on the floor. 

Draco sighed as well as he looked at his best friend. Despite the smudges of black makeup under her eyes, he thought she’d never looked more beautiful. Sunlight reflected off her hair. Her smile was big enough that his cheeks hurt.

“Was your good news that you slept?” Her leg lazily kicked at his.

“Yes, you git. Thanks for ruining my moment.” He gently kicked back.

“Do you want me to stay another night?”

“Yes.”

For the next month, the two took turns sleeping in each other’s rooms. Sometimes they’d fall asleep in a living room on a couch. Sometimes they’d fall asleep in a backyard under the stars. The location always changed, but there wasn’t a night that went by that they weren’t by each other’s side.

The cold fact of reality soon came crashing down when August turned to September. They knew sharing a bed at Hogwarts would result in serious trouble if they were ever caught. Draco had gotten used to waking up and seeing Y/N’s face.

The first night was the worst. Draco tossed and turned in the small bed. The space next to him seemed too cold. Watching the hours tick by, he began to feel the loneliest he had in awhile. There was something about a dark room at 2 am that had him feeling like he was the only one feeling like this.

On the other side of the common room, in the girls’ dormitories, Y/N was having a similar problem. She pulled the blankets up over her shoulders as she shivered. Draco has kept her warm all summer and she had forgotten what it was like to sleep alone.

The next morning, the two looked like zombies. Y/N had tried her best to look presentable, but there wasn’t enough makeup in the world to hide the dark circles that had formed under her eyes. She grumpily threw herself on the bench beside Draco at breakfast.

“You gave me your problem.” she hissed. Draco blinked once, then twice.

“What?” He raised an eyebrow at her.

“I didn’t sleep at all last night. Thanks a lot.”

“How is that my fault? I didn’t sleep at all last night either. Don’t blame me.”

Draco’s head rested in his hand. Y/N leaned into him and her eyes drifted shut. This had been the most at peace she’d been since she left Draco in the common room the previous night.

“We don’t have classes today… do you want to go take a nap?” he whispered in her ear.

“Yes.”

After their shared nap in the Slytherin common room, the two didn’t really move from their places on the couch. Draco’s arm was draped lazily over Y/N’s shoulders and she was leaning into him. Every once in awhile his hand would travel to her hair and play with it.

“Draco, it’s three in the morning. We should go to bed.” she sighed. Despite her comment, she sunk further into his warm body.

“I know, but it’s so lonely not waking up to your face in the morning. I like you, you know.” The reality of what Draco had let slip sunk in and his breath caught in his throat.

“I know.” she mumbled and sighed contently. He let out the breath he’d been holding.

“No, I mean I like you as in all I want to do is kiss you all day, everyday. Life deals me these cards and life just seems so salty. You’re the sweetener, Y/N. This summer was just an example. You always bring the bitter taste to a halt. I love you for that. My life would be sour without you. I just needed you to know.”

Draco didn’t get a response and his whole world came crashing down. He’d taken a leap and instead of flying, he fell. He was an idiot. The world fixed itself and was turned upright when he heard soft snores coming from the girl cuddled into his side. A small smile graced his face.

The best sleep Draco Malfoy got was when he was by Y/N’s side - it was also the safest he felt. She was home - no matter how salty life seemed to get. 


	32. ghostin

_Running. It wasn’t something Y/N had ever been good at, but she had no choice. It was kill or be killed. Streaks and flashes of green bounced all around her. In an instant, they’d stopped. It was quiet - save for the duel between Harry Potter and Voldemort. As quickly as it had started, it stopped._

_The scene changed. Bodies surrounded her and the smell that filled the air reeked of death. She was frantically looking around her - needing to find him, see his face. Platinum hair was all she saw before she was enveloped in a bone crushing hug. Sobbing with relief, she gripped on to him._

_“I was so scared, Draco. I didn’t see you at all - I thought - I thought - I -” she choked on a sob._

_“I know, I know. It’s okay. I’m here. I’m here.” Draco replied as he held her face to his chest. They stood there for a few minutes - Y/N gripping on to her boyfriend like her life depended on it and Draco stroking her hair as he held just as tightly. Suddenly pushing away from him, Y/N spoke again._

_“Where’s Theo?” Draco’s expression grew dark as he avoided eye contact with the girl standing in front of him._

_“Where’s Theo, Draco?” she asked again, her voice wavering. He shook his head. Y/N dropped to her knees. No, no, no, no. no. It couldn’t be true. Tears rolled rapidly down her face and she let out a scream Draco never wanted to hear again. He moved quickly towards her and held her as she cried over her ex-boyfriend / best friend._

_Y/N and Theo hadn’t ended on bad terms. They’d dated for a year before deciding that they were better off as friends. That didn’t erase the time they’d spent together though. They remained best friends and Theo was even happy for her when she’d started dating Draco. That didn’t mean she didn’t still love him though. She always would._

—–

Y/N awoke in sweat soaked sheets and a dark room. As she became more aware of her surroundings, she remembered she was at Malfoy Manor.

In Draco’s room.

Next to Draco.

The after effects of the dream were evident as tears streamed down her face. She watched as Draco’s chest rose and fell with every breath. Platinum hair stuck up in every direction. His soft snores made her laugh - despite the horrible nightmare flashback she’d just woken up from. As much as she wanted to wake him up, she knew that he needed as much sleep as he could get. They were both still healing from the events that happened a year ago.

Y/N knew that if Draco had been anyone else, she wouldn’t have gotten through the year. Losing Theo - someone that had meant as much to her as Draco did - was traumatic. She’d spent the first week after he died by herself. She didn’t leave the room that the Malfoys had provided for her. Few words came from her mouth and as much as her mother and Draco had tried, she just didn’t want to talk about it.

As the weeks passed, Y/N was more open to comfort and would let Draco hold her when she sobbed. Every tear that streamed down her face felt like she was living in hell. Feeling guilty about being in Draco’s arms while she cried over another boy was a feeling she’d grown accustomed to. She’d tried to tell Draco that he should leave her alone, but he never did. Trying to push him away physically didn’t work and she’d snapped at him several times as well.

He had been her rock this entire time. He himself had been through just as much if not more trauma than she had. Of course Draco would take time when he was by himself and let out his emotions. But being there for Y/N was more important to him. He knew how close she was to Theo. When she had yelled at him and blamed him for her ex-boyfriend’s death, he stood there silently and let her get it out. He took every moment of her pushing him away and he pushed right back. Y/N knew she had put Draco through a lot.

—–

“Just admit that it hurts you, Draco! I know it does.” Y/N yelled at him. She stood by the window, while he stood across from her by the door.

“I don’t know what you want me to say.” he said calmly.

“Something! Anything! Just admit that you’re mad at me! Frustrated! I don’t care, just stop making me feel so guilty and admit it.”

“How am I making you feel guilty?”

“I don’t - I don’t know.” Her breath caught in her throat and she slid down the wall.

She’d been like this lately. Trying to pick fights with Draco. Trying to blame him. She knew in her heart of hearts that it was not anyone’s fault, really. Theo had always had bad luck and that day it just so happened that his good luck seemed to run out completely. Y/N was angry that there was no one to blame.

Angry that she treated Draco so awful sometimes.

Angry that when she was in his arms, she sometimes wished they were Theo’s instead.

While their breakup had ended well and they’d managed to stay best friends, Y/N knew she’d always have some sort of small lingering feeling towards him. In the end though, her feelings for the platinum haired boy would always be greater though.

—–

Y/N stared at Draco as he peacefully slept next to her. He turned and threw his arm around her waist. Closing her eyes, she let herself succumb to the dreamworld again - hoping it would be kind to her this time.

_She was in the center of a green field. Pink and purple flowers surrounded her. The sun shined brightly above her head. Glancing around, she spotted a figure sitting a few feet in front of her. His brown hair showed streaks of blonde and his face was tilted up towards the warm sun._

_“Theo?” she asked. The boy turned to face her and threw a smirk her way. Without thinking, she ran towards him and he stood up to catch her. Wrapping her arms around his neck was the best feeling._

_“Hey, Y/N.” he laughed, circling his arms around her waist._

_“What are you doing here? Is this real?” she asked, pulling away slightly to look up into his green eyes._

_“You know it’s not.” He looked at the girl in front of him sadly. She sighed, dropping her head._

_“I just - I thought - nevermind.” She looked back up at him._

_“Hey, it’s okay. I needed to speak with you. I know you’ve been grieving and I know it’s been hard, but you need to know this has been just as hard on Draco.”_

_“You don’t think I know that? I hate myself for what I’m doing to him. I’ve put him through more than anyone ever should. He doesn’t deserve this. I’ve told him several times to leave.”_

_Y/N crossed her arms._

_“You and I both know he’ll never do that. He loves you. And you love him. Fuck Y/N, you loved him even when we were together. He was - is - my best friend, too. I know him and I know you. You guys are going to get through this. You’re going to get past this.”_

_Theo took a step back and smiled at Y/N._

_“I don’t think I can get past this, Theo. I miss you so much.”_

_“I know. I miss you guys too. You need to remember that Draco also lost a best friend that day.”_

_“I loved you.”_

_“I know. And I, you. However, Draco loves you as well. So much. You learn a lot of things when you die. You’re going to get married and you’re going to have kids. And he’s going to be with you every step of the way. You’re going to be okay. I promise. Let Draco in, alright?”_

_His large hands grabbed her small face and he wiped at the tears that had fallen from her eyes. He pressed his forehead against hers. She began shaking her head back and forth._

_“I’ve got to go. I love you. Draco loves you. Let him help you.” he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. The world spun and -_

_—–_

\- she was back in Draco’s room.

“NO!” she yelled, sitting up. A wave of mixed emotions washed over her. Anger. Sadness. Happiness.

Draco had been awake for a few minutes now. Sunlight streamed in between his curtains. He watched Y/N twitch in her sleep. Tears started falling down her face. This wasn’t anything Draco hadn’t seen before. It’d started the night after the war and hadn’t stopped since. She sat up and shouted.

Positioning himself in front of her, he grabbed her face. He looked straight into her E/C eyes.

“Hey, hey. You’re alright, okay? I’m here, I’ve got you.” He tried to calm her down, but she shoved him off. Stumbling off the bed, she stood in front of him.

“Just leave me alone!” she shouted and retreated to the bathroom.

“ ** _Alright, I’ll leave you alone then…_** ” he mumbled after her.

Draco sighed. It wasn’t unusual for her to act like this sometimes. He lay back on the bed with his feet hanging off the side.

—–

Y/N slammed the bathroom door. She knew she shouldn’t have yelled at Draco. He’d done nothing wrong. She braced herself on the counter and looked into the mirror. Theo was right. She needed to let Draco in. He’d also lost his best friend that day. She pulled her hair up into a high ponytail and grabbed one of Draco’s sweatshirts off the floor. Pulling it over her head, she exited the bathroom.

Draco sat up as he heard the click of the bathroom door. A smile graced his face as he saw her in his old Slytherin Quidditch sweatshirt. Green looked _so_ good on her.

“Hey, I haven’t seen that on you in awhile.” He watched as she slowly made her way over to him. Standing between his legs, she messed with his hair for a little while before speaking.

“I’m sorry. That was so out of line. I don’t want you to leave me alone. I know we don’t talk about it much, but… you lost a best friend that day too. I’m so sorry I’ve been so selfish.” she sniffled. Draco hung his head and his hands wrapped around the back of Y/N’s legs, resting on the back of her thighs.

“I know.” his voice cracked. And for the first time in a year, Draco allowed himself to break down in front of Y/N. She held him like he held her. His face was buried in her stomach and she smoothed his hair down while she whispered comforting words.

“It’s little things that remind me of him too, you know? Like when I walk through the garden, I get hit with all the flashbacks of us running around when we were younger. Or I had a butter beer for the first time in awhile yesterday and I couldn’t even drink it because all I could think about was when we’d all go to Hogsmeade for one during the winter. He was the closest thing I had to a brother. It’s like there’s this piece of my life that will never be the same again.” he managed to get out once his tears had subsided.

“I know. I saw his father in Diagon Alley the other day and I couldn’t even face him. I turned around before he could see me. Then I spent an hour crying in a random bathroom. It’s been a year, how are we not over this already?”

“Grief takes time. My mum said we’ll never really be over this. We’ll have good moments and we’ll have bad ones too. What matters, I think, is that we stick together. I love you endlessly.”

He looked up into her eyes. She had a small smile on her face.

“I love you too.”

“Hard times are golden, babe. We’ll get through this. We’ll get past it, I promise.”

Y/N smiled at the familiar words. They’d be alright - as long as they stuck together.


	33. Snowflake

Snow fell silently on the streets outside the small house that Y/N Y/L/N and Draco Malfoy shared. The world was silent and dark - save for the street lamps that were illuminating the street. Y/N sat in their small bay window and watched the snow fall with a child-like wonder. A shiver ran through her as the trees outside shook with the wind outside.

A pale hand snaked around in front of her and handed her a dark green mug filled with steaming liquid. She jumped and turned her body sideways on the little bench she sat on. Draco threw a smirk her way and sat down next to her with a matching cup of his own. He pulled his knees up to his chest and took an experimental sip from his mug.

“I didn’t even hear you. You kind of scared me.” Y/N laughed a little as she raised her own mug to her mouth. Draco’s eyes slid from her to the window.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to. It’s three in the morning, why are you awake?” he asked. He took note of the tiny shiver that went through her from the corner of his eye.

“I haven’t been able to sleep - just not tired, I suppose.” She blew on the hot chocolate in front of her. Draco hummed in response. The snowflakes seemed to pick up their pace on their race to the ground. It was silent for several moments.

Draco turned his head to look at the girl next to him. She looked relaxed as she took another sip of hot chocolate and leaned her head on the wall next to her. Her H/C hair fell slightly in her face. Perfectly manicured hands wrapped around the dark green mug in her hands. Light shined through the window from the street lamps and casted shadows on her face in all the right places.

“You’re exquisite.” he breathed. His cheeks automatically turned a light shade of pink and he quickly looked away from her, hoping she didn’t hear his compliment.

“Did you say something? Sorry, I’m kind of in my head at the moment.” she questioned. The platinum haired boy shook his head as he continued to look anywhere but his best friend.

“Can I ask you something absolutely ridiculous?” Y/N asked.

“Of course.” Draco replied and took a long sip from his mug.

“Do you want to go build a snowman?”

“It’s.. it’s three in the morning…”

“I know. I told you it was ridiculous…”

“Let’s go, snowflake. But you have to put a jacket on, I can’t stand to see you shiver one more time. It’s annoying.”

Y/N made a face at the ‘snowflake’ nickname, but grinned and slapped Draco’s arm. She set her hot chocolate on the kitchen counter and pulled her black puffy jacket from its place in the coat closet. Looking back towards Draco, she realized that he hadn’t moved from his place. She raised an eyebrow. Sending her a smug look, he pointed at her boots that were thrown haphazardly by the stairs.

Once they were both dressed for the harsh winter climate, Y/N raced outside with Draco following close behind her. She sunk to her knees and let the snow seep through her leggings. The boy behind her raised an eyebrow. Growing up, he’d never been one to play in the snow - or outside in general. He didn’t understand the appeal of freezing, getting soaking wet, and then going back inside with chattering teeth and a possible cold.

Y/N pushed the snow around on the ground and started forming a small ball with it. She bunched it all up until she seemed satisfied with the size and then she turned around to look at Draco. He was sitting on their front steps with his chin in his hand. A small smile was on his face.

“The whole point of me dragging you out here with me was for you to help me.” she pouted and turned back around to start making the middle of the snowman. As she grabbed for more snow, her hand touched Draco’s. Their eyes met for a moment before Y/N pulled away quickly.

Draco couldn’t distinguish if the red that adorned her face was a blush or from the cold and windy air. He watched as her cold red hands - that she’d forgotten and then straight up refused to put gloves on - gathered the snow. He spent a few more moments watching her before his own hands - clad in his usual leather gloves - gathered some snow and piled it on top of the snowball she was making.

It wasn’t long before they’d gathered enough snow for the middle section and what was supposed to be the head.

“It’s just missing accessories. Add arms while I go look for the essentials.” she instructed.

He watched as she ran back into the house. His eyes scanned their yard in search of tree branches for arms. Finding the perfect ones in the corner of the yard, he gathered them, and then stuck them in the middle ball of snow. Y/N came running back out of the house with an old Slytherin scarf, sunglasses, and a black baseball cap. His eyes went to the sunglasses she held in her hands.

“Not my sunglasses. I just bought those.” he said. Draco lunged forward in an attempt to grab them from her, but Y/N took a step back. She pursed her lips and while looking him straight in the eyes, slid the sunglasses into the packed snow.

“They’re not going to be ruined or anything. Stop stressing about everything so much, D.” 

“Are we done now?” he pouted, crossing his arms. She nodded with a sly smile. With a huff of breath, her best friend headed back into the house. Bending down and gathering more snow together, she made a small snowball and aimed for the back his head. The predator hit its prey and Draco stopped in his tracks.

Turning around slowly, he eyed Y/N as she stood in front of him. He kneeled down and watched as Y/N’s eyes widened, realizing that he was definitely going to retaliate. In a desperate attempt for cover she sprinted towards the closest tree. Draco stayed kneeled down in his spot, watching and waiting for the right moment.

Y/N poked her head out from behind the tree. Draco was the snake and she was a mouse. Bending down and gathering a snowball of her own, she kept her eyes on the boy who was now slowly slithering closer. She pressed her back against the big tree and peeked around the opposite corner. However, he was nowhere to be found now. Raising an eyebrow in confusion, she stepped out from behind the tree. As soon as she did that, a hand grabbed the back of her jacket and snow fell between her skin and long sleeved shirt.

Letting out a scream, she whipped her head around in time to see Draco sprint across the yard and towards the front door.

“Draco Malfoy! Do not run back into that house!” she yelled as she took off after him. She managed to get to him before he reached the front steps. Taking a chance, Y/N jumped onto Draco’s back. In hindsight, she realized that wasn’t the best idea.

Draco toppled forward and face planted into the snow. Y/N rolled off his back and into the snow beside him as she laughed maniacally. The boy beside her pulled his face out of the snow and rolled on top of her.

“Draco, you’re crushing me! Get off! What have you been eating, rocks?” she shoved her cold hands in his face. He, in turn, grabbed both of her wrists with one hand and successfully pinned them above her head.

“Now what are you going to do?” He whispered in her ear. A shiver went through her and Draco liked to think it was because of him and not the fact that she was fully immersed in snow.

“I’m cold! Get off of me!” was all she had to say.

The platinum haired boy leaned down so his nose touched hers. Their hot breath did a dance in between them. He watched as her throat bobbed with a swallow and she closed her eyes. Slender fingers pushed hair out of her face.

“Draco, I’m freezing. Let’s go inside.” she said as “Can I kiss you?” came out of his mouth.

Y/N’s eyes snapped open. Draco pulled his face from hers - but only a little.

“What’d you say?”

“Can I kiss you?”

Y/N nodded her head as the sun rose on the horizon. Their lips touched and the sun came up, and boy, oh boy, would tomorrow be complicated.


	34. make up (SMUT!!!)

**SEXUAL THEMES / SMUT TAKE PLACE IN THIS CHAPTER.**

Y/N watched from her spot at the Ravenclaw table as Draco Malfoy whispered something in Pansy Parkinson’s ear. Eyes narrowed, she looked away and down her own table. It was late in the afternoon and most Ravenclaws were either studying in the library or waiting outside of the door to their next class. Left to her own devices, she looked back towards the boy only to realize that he was already smirking in her direction.

She watched as he intertwined his hands and set them on the table in front of him. Not breaking their eye contact, Y/N’s hands went up to her neck and undid the first three buttons of her shirt. Draco’s eyes slid down to where her fingers lingered. He tilted his head before breaking eye contact and whispering into Pansy’s ear again. Pansy laughed loudly and leaned into him. Y/N felt a spark of jealousy make its way through her entire body.

Her mouth twitched as she watched Draco slide a smirk her way. She caught the slight incline of his head and immediately grabbed her bags. As quickly as her legs could carry her, she all but ran up the stairs and into an abandoned classroom. She set her bag down and hopped up onto a clean desk. Swinging her legs back and forth, she waited for the platinum haired boy that had gotten under her skin moments ago.

“Y/N.” a deep voice drawled from the door. Hopping off the desk, she made a few strides to him and poked him in the chest.

“ _What_ was that about?” she asked. Draco smirked for what seemed to be the millionth time today. He grabbed the hand still on his chest and raised it to his mouth. Placing a kiss on her knuckles, he looked down at the girl.

“Darling, what are you _talking about_?” 

He knew exactly what she was talking about.

She scoffed and raised an eyebrow. He took the opportunity to place another kiss - this time on the tip of her fingers. He watched her eyes follow the movement. Her mouth parted slightly, but then she shook her head.

“You know _exactly_ what I’m talking about! You were all up on Parkinson in there. I am _so tired_ of seeing you flirt with fucking _Parkinson_. You’d think you’d have more self - respect - Ow!”

Y/N jumped as Draco bit down gently on her fingers. She watched as he closed his mouth around them. His tongue swirled around the two fingers in his mouth. Her breath caught in her throat as he pulled his mouth off slowly. She managed to squirm away from him.

“You know, Draco, you have no idea where my hands have been.”

“Hopefully where I think they’ve been.” he raised his eyebrows and crossed the small distance to her.

And suddenly, their bodies were too close. All of her nerves seemed to be on fire. She couldn’t help the blush that crept up her cheeks. She’d been this close to him before - closer even - countless times. But her anger seemed to fuel her as she stepped back.

“I’m serious! Stop trying to distract to me! I’m furious with you right now. I told you it pisses me off when you flirt with other girls - _especially_ Parkinson. It’s like you’re doing it on purpose now.” Y/N yelled.

“Do you remember how good our make up sex was the last time we fought?”

“This isn’t even as bad as our fight last time. This isn’t even a fight… That would require you to stop trying to seduce me. Also, stop trying to change the subject.”

Even she could hear that she didn’t really mean it. Her resolve had softened in a matter of minutes simply because she was so _turned on_. Of course, she remembered how good their sex was the last time. Not that it wasn’t good before, but the last time had definitely been the best.

And it didn’t help that Draco was looking exceptionally good today. His uniform shirt sleeves had been rolled up to his elbows. His platinum hair hung slightly in his face. The expensive smelling cologne had been taunting her all day. Y/N’s eyes flickered from Draco’s lips and back up to his eyes. He’d been intently staring at her in the moments of silence.

In a flash of movement, they’d collided into each other, mouths connected, tongues fighting for dominance. Draco backed Y/N up against the nearest wall. One hand gently grabbed the side of her neck and the other rested on her hip. She had one hand on his abdomen while the other was tangled in his hair. Her hand gripped the fabric of his shirt and he sighed in content as he moved his mouth down to her jaw.

A little moan escaped Y/N’s mouth as Draco nipped at the spot below her ear. His tongue glided over where he’d just been and continued the race down her neck and to her collarbone. His hands now fumbled with the buttons on her shirt and one of her hands came to rest on one of his wrists. Successfully undoing the last of the buttons, he pinned both of her arms above her head.

He paused in leaving love bites on her collarbone and he brought his face up to hers. Nudging his nose against hers, he let one of his hands travel down Y/N’s body to rest once again on her hip. His guard was let down enough for Y/N to switch their positions so Draco was against the wall and she was in front of him. He smirked and let her have the small win.

Her mouth connected to his once more. He inhaled and caught the scent of her coconut scented perfume. Y/N caught Draco’s lip between her teeth and she couldn’t help but laugh as they accidentally made eye contact.

“Sorry, I read about that in a book once. I wanted to try it.” she looked up at him through her long eyelashes and the platinum haired boy grinned.

“It’s okay, it was hot.” he replied and connected their lips once more. Y/N shook her head as she pulled away and attached her lips to his neck instead - but she didn’t stop there. She moved her mouth across his jawline. Draco let out a tiny moan and felt the cause smile against his jaw - which in turn caused a small smile grace his face.

She stopped just below his ear. Nipping the spot, and then slowly dragging her tongue over it - an action that he’d just done to her, but she liked to think she did it better. A low sound came from the platinum haired boy as she attached her lips to the spot and started to suck. After a minute or so of her mouth sucking on his neck and low moans coming from him, Y/N started to move her mouth back up to his. She didn’t stay there for long though.

“Mine, mine, mine. _All_ mine.” she whispered as she kissed her way back down Draco’s neck. A small smile graced his face. The back of his head met the wall as her gentle fingers unbuttoned his shirt. His hands rested on her hips. Her mouth trailed her fingers as she made her way down his abs.

Draco watched as she sank to her knees. She kissed just below his belly button and his hands came to pull her hair away from her face. Her kisses continued along the line of his pants, knowing he wouldn’t be able to take the teasing for long.

“Oh, _please_ , Y/N.” he growled. He felt her smile against his skin. Her hands slowly made their way up his legs until she got to his belt. She looked up at him as her hands slowly undid his belt and then the button and zipper on his slacks. Stopping suddenly, she leaned back and smirked.

“I think we’re going to be late for class. Maybe we should try this another time…” she said.

Draco looked down at her, incredulous. There was no way she could mean that.

“ _Fuck_ class.” was all he could come up with. She glanced down at her watch.

“It seems you’re in luck. We have just enough time…” she laughed as he shook his head and laughed with her. They both knew she could care less about being late for a class - especially a class they both shared.

His breath caught in his throat as she sucked, licked, kissed _anywhere_ but where he wanted her. He had his hands still tangled in her hair and he tugged gently so that she was looking up at him.

“What do you want, Draco?” she asked and he let out a small whimper as her hand grazed the area he wanted her.

“You.” he managed to get out.

“Be more specific…” she trailed off as she continued teasing. He moaned her name and let go of her hair. She looked up at him through her eyelashes as she finally gave him what he wanted. Gasping, his eyes shut automatically. Her mouth wrapped around him and he couldn’t deny the pleasure he felt.

He’d had this in mind when he’d inclined his head towards her earlier in the Great Hall, but having it actually happen was indescribable. She always knew how to please him - in and out of their secret sex life.

His head connected with the wall behind him once again as she licked around his tip. Grabbing a fistful of her hair once more, he gently made her take his full length. He held her there for a moment, relishing the feel of the back of her throat, before letting her breathe again. He heard her gasp for air and let out a breathy laugh. He repeated this a few times before he let her fully take the reigns.

His breathing quickened as she took over. With his heart racing faster and faster, he knew the end was in sight if she just kept doing -

“That! Y/N, Y/N, Y/N, yes, such a good girl.” he praised and he felt her smile against him.

“You like that, Draco? Is this what you wanted?” she paused to ask, before going down on him again.

“Yes.” he mumbled. He thrust his hips to meet her halfway, looking down and making eye contact with her. Nothing else mattered in the world right now except the feel of her mouth around him. Pleasure encompassed his body as he felt himself come undone. Mumbled words and sounds came from his mouth as she finished him off and his eyes squeezed shut. Getting up off her knees, she placed kisses from his collarbone, up to his jaw, along his jawline, and then finally she connected their mouths once more.

Pulling away, she glanced at her watch.

“We’re late for class. I’ll leave first and you wait five minutes?” she asked, buttoning up her previously unbuttoned shirt.

“Yeah.” he answered, breathless, and still trying to come back into his right mind. Her gentle fingers started connecting the buttons on his shirt.

“Okay, I’ll see you later.”

“Wait, your mascara is running…” He caught her wrist as she’d turned to leave.

She laughed as she kissed him one last time.

“Thanks, I’ll stop by a bathroom and fix it.”

—–

“Oi! Malfoy, is that _another_ hickey?” Blaise teased as Draco took his seat next to him in the back of the Potions Classroom. His hand went up to his neck and he pulled his shirt collar higher.

“No. You would do well to mind your own business, _Zabini_.” he barked and took out his book and parchment. His eyes traveled to the front of the classroom in search of the girl who’d just left him breathless in an empty classroom. It wasn’t hard to spot her Y/H/C hair sitting at the very front of the classroom. She was sitting next to a Gryffindor girl - one Draco really couldn’t be bothered to learn the name of.

“Since we didn’t have time to brew our potions last class, we will do that now. I assume you all remember what that was. If not - figure it out.” Snape announced and then took a seat at his desk.

As the students gathered around the ingredients closet, Draco made a point to stand as close to Y/N as possible. Their hands brushed each other and he could see the pink tint to her cheeks every time it happened. Most of the students had gathered their ingredients and made their way back to their tables - leaving the pair alone. The platinum haired boy followed the girl into the closet. He purposely went after each ingredient she did. At one point, he stood behind her and reached over her shoulder to get rose petals on a high shelf.

“Hi, Y/N.” he whispered in her ear and he felt her shiver. And with that, he quickly left her alone in the closet. He smirked as he sat down.

Draco quickly regretted his previous actions. Throughout brewing the potion, Y/N had taken it upon herself to - instead of standing like a normal human being - lean over the table and give everyone behind her a decent view.

His eyes travelled the curves of legs and he bit his lip. As if sensing him staring, she turned and threw a wink his way. Her skirt was long enough to cover what it needed to, but that didn’t stop Draco’s thoughts from wandering for the next hour. All he could think about was her - her lips, her legs, how it felt to be inside her… Luckily, Blaise had taken over the potion and before he knew it, they were cleaning up and he’d somehow convinced the boy to trade spots with Y/N.

“Is that who’s been giving you hickies? You haven’t been able to keep your eyes off of her the entire class. For fucks sake, Malfoy, just fuck her already.” Blaise sighed and shoved his books in his bag.

“I have - more than once. Now mind your own business and _switch_.” Draco sneered.

He smirked as she regarded Blaise, sent a glance his way, and then gathered her books and sat next to him.

“ _What_ was that?” he huffed, as he scooted his chair as close to hers as possible.

“I don’t know what -” Y/N started.

“ _Yes_ you do.” he interrupted.

“You were flirting with Parkinson earlier. It was just payback.” she smirked.

“You really think I have any interest in Parkinson when I have the most beautiful secret?” he whispered huskily into her ear. The hand that was resting on her knee slowly slid up her thigh.

“Draco, not here…” she whispered - and as she met his eyes, she could tell this was definitely happening here.

In the back of the Potions classroom.

In a room full of people.

His hand slid up her skirt.

“Spread your legs.” he whispered in her ear. She silently shook her head and tried to keep her eyes towards the front of the classroom. He placed a gentle kiss just below her ear. His large hand pulled on her knee and she had no choice but to obey his previous command.

“What are you wearing under this skirt?” he asked as his hand moved from the top of her thigh, back to her knee, and then back up, repeating the pattern over and over causing goosebumps on her skin.

“Black thong…” she whispered and managed to keep writing notes.

“Good.” was all he said as he moved his hand between her thighs.

“Draco, please.”

She grabbed his hand and bit her lip. The quill in her other hand slowed as his hand moved in circles. A quiet whimper escaped her mouth as his hand dove underneath her thong.

“So wet for me…” he mumbled into her ear.

“Mr. Malfoy, tell me, what is Felix Felicis?” Snape sounded from the front of the classroom.

“It’s liquid luck. It grants whoever drinks it unusually good luck.” Draco answered without missing a beat. He slipped a finger into Y/N. She dropped her quill and brought her hand up to her mouth.

“Five points to Slytherin. Pay attention to the words coming from my mouth and not those of your neighbor.” He threw a pointed look their way and continued his lecture.

“Yes, sir.”

Draco’s finger had moved out and up. She looked him in the eye as two of his fingers started to make light, slow circles - exactly where she had wanted him since he began the teasing session.

Her legs twitched. Begging and pleading words had started to quietly slip from her mouth. One hand was gripping the edge of the desk while the other gripped his wrist. And as he picked up speed and pressure, her grip got tighter. She had fully pushed away the fact that they were indeed in public and almost let out a moan, but Draco had stopped. His fingers hovered over the area he was just at. She was about to ask why in the world he would stop now, when he continued again, but at a much faster pace than before.

“ _Draco_!” she gasped quietly and he smirked, but kept his eyes trained on the front of the room. Her eyes squeezed shut as she felt herself growing closer and closer to ecstasy. Her head dropped to his shoulder and her teeth sank into him.

Finally,

finally,

 _finally_ ,

she felt an overwhelming sense of pleasure and her whimpers were muffled by his shoulder. Her grip on his wrist and the desk loosened as he slowly continued his circles. As the waves of ecstasy rolled through her and subsided, Draco subtly pulled his hand out of her black thong and up to his mouth. She laughed quietly as she raised her head and picked her quill back up.

Breathless she muttered, “ _Jealous_ , were you?”

“No, the hickey on your neck is enough to let everyone know you’re taken. No one needs to know by who.”

He threw a wink her way and watched as a blush arose on her cheeks. His hand went back to resting on her knee.

“Meet me in my dorm later?” she asked and Draco nodded his head with a small smile.


	35. December 24th

Y/N shivered against the cold, snowy air while she waited for the door in front of her to open and welcome her into the warmth. Her teeth chattered as she pulled her coat tighter. With shaking hands, she knocked again, but was stopped as the door opened. Pansy Parkinson stood there, with her long black hair piled on top of her head and an oversized red sweater on. 

“Y/N! Come in, come in! Daphne just got here a few minutes ago and it wasn’t half as bad as it is now. I hope the boys can still make it over.” she said, all while giving Y/N a quick hug and all but pulling her inside the warm house. 

“I was texting Draco earlier and he left his house right after I did, so I assume he should be here soon. I don’t know about the other boys though.” she told Pansy as they made their way to the living room.

“Oh! What’s going on between you two lately? You guys have been acting weird around each other. Don’t think I don’t notice how often he’s had an excuse to just touch you.” Daphne said from her place on the couch. She was snuggled in a corner of one of the three couches, sipping from a steaming mug of what Y/N could only assume was hot chocolate - probably spiked with a little something extra as well. 

“Nothing. Nothing is going on between us. We’re just friends, I’ve told you guys that millions of times. He’d never see me as more than a friend and I’d rather save my heart from getting broken.” 

Y/N sunk into a couch cushion opposite of Daphne while Pansy took the spot next to Daphne. She took notice of the glance the two girls in front of her shared and instead of snarkily replying, she looked down at her phone instead. She had three texts from Draco, one being a “let me know when you get to Pansy’s safely please” followed by a black heart emoji and a “I’m stuck at a red light literally down the street from her house, did you make it yet?” As Y/N typed yes, she heard a knock on the door - which was obviously Draco. A few moments of silence passed while Pansy got the door and soon voices drifted down the hallway and Pansy had reappeared with Theo, Blaise, and Draco.

“What, did you all carpool here?” Y/N joked as she got up to hug the boys one by one.

“Yes, actually.” Theo replied as he wrapped his arms around her waist. 

“And none of you though to ask Daphne and me?” Y/N giggled as she pulled away from Theo and gave Blaise a quick hug as well. 

“Would either of you had said yes?” Draco drawled from behind Blaise. Y/N eyed him as she pulled away from Blaise.

“Nope!” Daphne shouted from the kitchen and Y/N laughed, knowing that was true. If she drove herself, she could leave whenever she wanted. If she had carpooled with someone, she had to wait until they were ready to leave and once she was ready to go, she was ready to go. 

Draco smirked as he grabbed Y/N’s hand and pulled her into him. His arms wrapped around her and hers snaked around his torso. She rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. This was home - if she could ever describe it. There was nowhere she felt more loved and safe then in the platinum haired boy’s arms. Draco watched everyone else while followed Pansy as she made her way into the kitchen. 

“We should probably follow them.” Draco mumbled into Y/N’s ear. 

“Carry me.” she replied and before the platinum haired boy could react, Y/N had jumped and wrapped her legs around him like a koala bear. 

“I guess we’re doing that.” he laughed and headed into the kitchen. 

“They both just need to admit – oh hey guys.” Daphne said to them. 

“Hi. So, Pansy, what are we all doing in the kitchen?” Y/N asked, her arms and legs still wrapped around Draco. 

“First of all, we’re not doing anything before we take shots. So, everyone grab a glass.”

“We have to drive back home. You realize that, right?” Draco asked.

“Have you guys seen outside? You aren’t going anywhere.” she replied and a quick collective glance outside confirmed that the storm had just gotten worse since the boys had arrived.

Y/N jumped off of Draco and grabbed a glass. They clinked their glasses together and the liquid burned its way down her throat. Her eyes met the platinum blonde’s as she set her glass on the counter. He smirked and she giggled and turned towards Pansy. 

“Christmas movies are next, of course. Tradition.” she said and grabbed wine glasses from the cabinets and poured all of the girls a glass while the boys headed back the way they came. Daphne raised her eyebrows at Y/N and the girls all giggled. Y/N shook her head as she refused to give in to the opportunity to gossip, grabbed her full wine glass, and made her way into the living room. She sunk down into the couch next to Draco. He slung a casual arm around the back of the couch and Y/N fought the urge to lean into him.

The group of friends made their way through two Christmas movies before people were moving towards spare rooms - which eventually left Y/N, Draco, and Pansy. 

“This is only a two bedroom apartment and Theo and Blaise are in the spare room. Daphne is sleeping with me… so it seems like you two are stuck on the couch. Goodnight.” Pansy said with a wink before she headed off towards her bedroom. 

“And then there were two…” Draco trailed off. Y/N yawned as she nodded and leaned into the boy next to her. 

“Do you mind sharing the couch?” she mumbled into his chest. His breath caught in his throat as he forgot how to breathe. He caught a whiff of her coconut shampoo and felt his stomach flip.

“Of course I don’t mind. While I have you alone, though, I need to tell you something…” he trailed off. 

“Anything…” Y/N whispered, as she tried to get as close to him as possible.

“I – this might ruin our friendship – but I need you to know that I like you. And not in a sister way or a friend way. A I wanna spend the rest of my life with you way. I’m so sorry if that freaks you out and if it does, just forget I ever said anything. But – I – what – do you… maybe like me back?” Draco asked.

He was answered with a beat of silence and then a soft snore. A deep sigh erupted from him and he ran his hands through her hair. Maybe he’d try again on New Years Eve. 


	36. Exquisite

_**First Year** _

“You know, Mother says we’ll be married someday.” Draco said from his place beside Y/N. Y/N let out a loud laugh as she reached over the table to grab some juice.

“I overheard my mother say the same thing last week when we were playing in the pool. I think it’s ridiculous.” she replied. There was a twinkle in her eye as she looked at the platinum haired boy.

“Yeah, I agree. Like I’d ever marry my best friend.” He shook his head with a small smile as he took the juice glass from her.

**_Third Year_ **

Draco quickly rounded the corner of a long hallway - his speed picking up as he realized just how late he was. It was the first trip to Hogsmeade today and he couldn’t wait to spend time outside of the castle - time with Y/N outside of the castle. He’d finally gotten the guts to ask her on a date and he was late.

Much to his displeasure, he had to thank Potter for holding up the group with his unsigned permission slip. Thanks to him, the third years traveling to Hogsmeade were all gathered together and Draco was able to quickly find his friend group. Blaise and Theo were standing a few steps away from Pansy, Y/N, and Daphne.

“Sorry I’m late. I couldn’t find my jacket.” Draco explained, walking up to the boys. As he was finishing his sentence, McGonagall clapped her hands twice and yelled for the group to follow her and Filtch.

“Hello, darling.” he drawled, ditching the boys and taking the four steps to Y/N.

“Hi, looks like you made it just in time!” she exclaimed as she kissed his cheek.

“Yeah, my jacket was at the bottom of my trunk. I thought I’d left it at home, to be honest.”

“Well I’m glad you didn’t and I’m glad you made it. I’m so excited!”

Draco smiled as he took her mittened hand and followed closely behind the moving group. The group of students all went their separate ways as they entered the streets of Hogsmeade. Pansy pointed towards The Three Broomsticks with chattering teeth. They entered the pub and while Blaise and Theo ordered drinks, the rest of them cozied up at a table in the back corner.

“Can I just say, I’m so glad you two are finally going out? I really couldn’t listen to Y/N talk about how gorgeous you are anymore.” Pansy commented as she sat across from the platinum haired boy.

“Pansy.” Y/N growled.

“What? It’s true! Plus, with his comments about you? I was about to lose my mind and I’m sure the rest of our group would agree, plus your parents - ”

“Anyways,” Draco interrupted. “ are you guys going home for the holiday break or are you staying here?”

“Mother said she doesn’t want me home since they’re going to Italy for the holidays. So, I’ll be staying here.” Theo sighed.

He set down three butterbeers. Blaise, who had been right behind him, set down the other three and slid in next to Pansy and Daphne.

“We’re going to Paris for the holidays, I believe.” Y/N mused as she took a sip from her mug.

“As in you and Draco or your family? Or maybe both of your families? Are they throwing you an engagement party as well?” Daphne giggled from across the table. Blaise let out a scoff.

“As in, if anyone wants to join us, I’m sure my parents wouldn’t mind.” she replied and took her mittens off.

“Well, I’m in!” Pansy exclaimed and turned to start a conversation with Blaise. Y/N rolled her eyes as everyone broke off into their own conversations. Draco grabbed her left hand and turned to her.

“Sorry, when I planned this to be our first date, I didn’t realize we were also dating everyone else in our group. I’m surprised Crabbe and Goyle went their separate ways.” he explained, his thumb absentmindedly stroked the back of her hand.

“It’s okay.” she whispered.

While the rest of the group had taken off to explore, the new couple had chosen to stay behind. They’d both taken advantage of the cold air drifting in from outside and had cuddled up next to each other. Draco’s arm was slung around her shoulders and he was still playing with her left hand - more specifically her left ring finger.

**_Sixth Year_ **

The stress of the Winter Ball being three weeks away could be felt throughout the halls of Hogwarts already. Boys were contemplating who to ask while the girls spent most of their time in Hogsmeade shopping for dresses. There was also the added stress of Christmas gifts and there was undoubtedly no one more stressed than Y/N.

“I get that we have a tradition of Secret Santa in this group and it’s great and so fun… However, how did I end up with Draco? What do you get someone who already seemingly has everything?” Y/N asked Pansy over breakfast one morning. Pansy giggled in response and grabbed a slice of toast.

“You’re not supposed to tell anyone who you got. Also, he’s your boyfriend, shouldn’t you know?” she said, tearing the bread into small pieces.

“I’m aware. But do you see my predicament? This boy has literally anything a 16 year old could want.” Y/N pouted as she pushed her scrambled eggs around her plate.

“Now you know how hard it was for me last year. I finally caved and asked Theo to subtly try and ask him. Luckily Draco is so oblivious to everything we were able to get something out of him.”

“Oblivious to what, exactly?” a voice drawled from behind Y/N. She let out a small whine as the owner of the voice sat next to her.

“Nothing, don’t worry about it. It’s girl talk, Draco.” Pansy smirked, taking a sip from the cup in front of her. Y/N rolled her eyes and dropped her fork against her plate.

A week passed.

Then two.

And then Pansy was doing Y/N’s makeup and Daphne was curling her hair and everything had happened so quickly. Y/N’s mind whirled as the dark haired girl in front of her swiped various brushes across her cheeks. Her nose crinkled as she heard the can of hairspray for the millionth time.

“What did you end up getting Draco?” Pansy asked, dipping into black eyeshadow.

“I’m not telling you.” Y/N mumbled. The girl in front of her gave a huff of breath and continued on with the flurry of brushes.

As the girls sat in the common room waiting for the boys, Y’N couldn’t help the anxiety she felt creeping up her spine. Her leg involuntarily bounced and she couldn’t help her teeth from ripping and tearing at her fingernails. A silver and green present sat beside her. But her anxiety seemed to dull as Draco’s face appeared in front of her. The group of Slytherins sat in a circle and exchanged their Secret Santa gifts with one another.

Draco sat next to Y/N and pulled a small box from his pocket, placing it in her hand. Y/N smiled and gave him the box that had been sitting beside her. Everything else seemed to fade away as she opened the present. It was a small, diamond ring. “Malfoy” was carved on the inside of the ring. She almost laughed at the coincidence of getting Draco something similar. She’d gotten him a watch he’d been eyeing down in Hogsmeade and had it engraved with their initials.

“Y/N! You didn’t have to do this…” Draco said, looking from the watch to her.

“I wanted to. I know you’ve been eyeing it and I wanted to make it a little special with the engraving of our initials. Do you like it?” she asked.

“Of course I do.” Their lips connected and he grabbed the ring box from her. “I also wanted to explain this. This ring was something my father gave my mother when they first started dating. For their fifth dating anniversary, my father had it engraved with Malfoy on the inside and promised he’d marry her someday. Of course I don’t think we’re anywhere near getting married, but I do think that someday we will be. So, as a promise to you, that I’m in this no matter what, I wanted to give this to you.”

Y/N’s eyes filled with tears and all she found herself saying was, “okay.”

“Are you guys coming to the ball or not?” Pansy interrupted.

**_Seventh Year_ **

“Babe, stop! I’m trying to study.” Y/N whined as she pushed Draco’s hand off her thigh for what felt like the millionth time that night. Draco’s face collapsed into a pout and he slumped in his chair next to her.

“Babe, stop.” he mocked her. He crossed his arms and glared at the floor.

“You’re such a baby.” she grinned and bumped her knee with his.

“Oh, I’m so sorry that I just want attention from my girlfriend. How crazy am I.”

“We spend every second together and we literally just got back from a date like three hours ago.”

Draco made a noise - that if it hadn’t come from Draco Malfoy itself would have been considered a whine - and moved his crossed arms to the table in front of him. He dramatically threw his head into his arms. Y/N sighed and went back to writing her paper and occasionally flipping through her textbook.

A few moments passed before the platinum haired boy peeked his head out to look at the girl next to him. He watched the light illuminate the diamonds of the ring on her left hand and reached out his hand to grab hers. She let him grab her hand away from her textbook while continuing to write with the other. Draco’s fingers glazed over the ring before taking it and twisting it around her fingers. Y/N raised an eyebrow and dropped her quill.

“Alright, alright. You win. Want to move this to the couch?” she smiled at him and he all but dragged her to the couch in front of the fireplace. He sat with his arm around her shoulders and her left hand still in his.

**_23 Years Old_ **

“I can’t believe Pansy and Blaise just got married.” Y/N whispered as Draco spun her around the dancefloor.

“Me neither. They’re meant for each other, though. Between their personalities and looks? They’re a match made in heaven.”

“Oh, absolutely. Can we take a break from dancing? My feet hurt.”

Draco nodded his head and led her off the dancefloor. They took their seats at the front of the room. He still had Y/N’s left hand in his and he glanced down at the ring that had been there since they were sixteen. He smiled to himself as his fingers grazed over it. It had crossed his mind plenty of times to just propose already, but when he started talking about it to Blaise and Theo, he’d learned that they were planning to propose to their girlfriends and by the time they had, then their wedding planning had begun and it left Draco with few good times to do it.

Y/N watched as the boy next to her smiled to himself and twisted the ring on her left ring finger around. She watched his teeth grab his bottom lip and his eyes came up to meet hers. Her breath caught in her throat. No matter how many times she saw him, she could never get over just how insanely beautiful he was. His skin was flawless and she could never get his eyes out of her thoughts - how they’d flick to her lips before he kissed her, how they roamed her body when they were alone, how they lit up when he looked at her.

“Draco Malfoy, your eyes are as blue as the ocean and I think I’m lost at sea.” she muttered. The smile on his face seemed to grow and he closed the distance between them.

“You’re exquisite and I love you.” he mumbled against her lips before pressing his to hers. 

—–  
Snowflakes fell from the sky outside of Malfoy Manor. The wind whistled through the walls and snuck in through a window that had been left open overnight. Draco closed it with a snap and made his way back over to the warm bed. He sunk into the bed and pulled the covers up over his shoulders. The girl next to him yawned and snuggled closer into him.

“I can’t believe that window was open all night. It’s freezing in here.” she commented, though another yawn.

“I know. Why would you do that? So very awful of you, Y/N.” he whispered in her ear, a smile gracing his face.

“Shut up.” She tried to hide the smile on her face, smacking his chest lazily and leaning into his touch. He grabbed her left hand, his thumb stroking her ring finger. And he wasn’t sure if it was the cold weather that had seemed to sneak in over night or the foot of snow sitting in the windowsill or his tired, fuzzy brain, but he reached over into his nightstand and pulled out a small box. Y/N eyed it as he turned to face her fully.

“This isn’t how I planned on doing this, but it just feels so incredibly right in this moment. I was also going to wait until after Theo’s wedding, but if I wait one more second, I might explode. Twelve years ago, I sat next to you after the sorting hat ceremony, looked you in the eyes, and said that I thought it was a ridiculous idea that anyone could ever think that I’d marry my best friend. Eleven years ago, Pansy dared me to kiss you after a Slytherin quidditch match and I still would like to know how twelve year olds were allowed to play truth or dare with no restrictions.” He paused as they both let out a short laugh and he continued. “Ten years ago, you said yes to being my date to the first Hogsmeade trip and to being my girlfriend. Seven years ago, I placed a ring on your finger as a promise that one day, when we were ready to be married and have a family, that I would replace it. Today, I want to replace it with this one.” Draco opened the small box to reveal a very shiny diamond ring. “So, what do you say? Wanna be a Malfoy?”

“Draco, I honestly thought you’d never ask. Of course I do.”


	37. Games

**_please note that this is a modern au._ **

“Draco, can you _please_ move your elbow? I’m trying to take notes and you’re always in my way.” Y/N said, shoving Draco’s arm lightly. His blue eyes slid to her Y/E/C ones. He leaned over so his mouth was next to her ear and she felt his breath as he said the word “no,” and leaned back over to his side with a smirk. Y/N fought the urge to shiver. Her tongue ran across her teeth.

Sighing and choosing not to argue with him for fear of getting caught by Snape, she turned back towards the front of the classroom and scooted to the end of their table. She had a few moments of writing in peace before the platinum haired boy slid closer to her, putting his elbow next to hers. Taking a quick glance at him, she saw the smirk still plastered on his face and she couldn’t help the smile that graced her face.

Draco wasn’t ugly by any means. He had been taught from a very young age that appearance was everything. His skin was perfect. His hair was always perfect. And he was dressed well no matter what he was doing that day. And especially looking at him from this angle, Y/N couldn’t help it as her eyes grazed his face from his perfectly done hair to the slant of his pointy nose and his sharp jawline and –

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer, Y/L/N. Come on, class is over.” he said. Before she could fully process what he had said, he was slamming her book closed and plucking the quill from her hand and throwing them both in her bag. She stood, taking her outstretched bag from him.

They walked silently beside each other, heading towards the Great Hall for lunch. As they met up with their usual group by the entrance, Draco took a step behind Y/N and placed his arms around her shoulders, resting his head on top of hers. Her hands came up to hold his and she leaned back against him. Pansy threw a pointed look Y/N’s way before glancing behind the pair.

“We’re still waiting on Theo and Blaise. They seem to be taking their sweet time today.” she remarked.

“Parkinson, relax. They’ll be here soon, you know how slow they are sometimes.” Draco replied.

“Yeah, or – more likely – they got in trouble and they had to stay –”

“And we had to _what_?” Blaise drawled, strolling up to the group with Theo in tow. Pansy scoffed and they followed her to the Slytherin.

—

The rest of the day passed by uneventfully. After dinner, the Slytherin squad headed to their usual nighttime hangout spot - the boys’ dorm. Pansy crawled into the huge bean bag chair she insisted on storing in their room and Daphne had flung herself at the end of Theo’s bed. Y/N had taken her usual spot on Draco’s bed, lying on her stomach with her head at the end and her feet in the air. Draco was lying sideways on his bed, his head on Y/N’s back and his nose in his phone. There were soft pop tunes playing through the radio by the window.

“I still can’t believe we’re not allowed to have our phones until after dinner. Like what if there was an emergency and I needed to call one of you? It’s irresponsible, is what it is.” Pansy complained, tossing her long black hair over her shoulder. Her thumb was scrolling up and down her phone screen.

“In what scenario would you be in an emergency where you would need to contact us?” Theo asked, raising his eyes over the book he had been sucked into.

“I don’t know, _Theodore_ , but it would give me comfort to know that I could call or text you guys,” she paused and added, “But I’d also like to scroll through Instagram at lunch or when McGonagall bores me to death during class.”

“They still make us use quills and parchment and you expect them to let us use our phones? We’re lucky that they even allow us to have them at all.” Blaise added.

Daphne let out a loud laugh. Pansy rolled her eyes before going back to her scrolling. Draco threw his phone on his bedside table, announcing that he was going to the bathroom. Y/N watched as he walked out of the room. She flipped the pages of her magazine and it was a comfortable silence until Pansy threw herself onto the bed next to her.

“What’s going on with you two?” she asked, putting her hand over the page Y/N was just reading.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Y/N answered, sitting up.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about. I know you and Draco have always been close, but lately you’ve both been very touchy feely with each other. You know that’s a bad idea, right?”

“Pans, we’re just talking… it’s not like we’re dating. We’re like… pre-dating.”

“ _That’s_ the exact problem. You’re not dating. He thinks he can mess with other girls _specifically_ because you’re not exclusive. You’ve _seen_ him do this with other girls. Why are you entertaining this idea? He’s a player. He’s played _me_ , for crying out loud. Do you remember that?”

“As much as I appreciate you caring, I don’t really think it’s any of your business.”

“Y/N, she’s right. You know he’s not the best when it comes to relationships. He’s never even been in a relationship. Be careful.” Theo added, before quickly shifting his eyes back into his book.

“Fine. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

“Talk about what anymore?” Draco asked, as he walked back into the room.

“Nothing.” Pansy replied, quickly getting off the bed and sitting on the end of Blaise’s.

The platinum haired boy raised an eyebrow, studying Y/N’s face. Her bottom lip was caught between her teeth. Instead of pressing the matter, Draco chose to ignore it and sunk back into his previous spot on his bed.

—

Y/N awoke in a tangle of dark green satin sheets and an arm draped around her torso. She was lying on her back and Draco’s face was nestled into her neck.Taking a deep breath, she stretched her arms, seemingly waking the boy next to her because a deep groan came from him before he turned so his back was facing her.

“You woke me up.” was all he said as he twisted his body again, onto his stomach.

“Oh, I’m so _sorry,_ Prince Draco.” she giggled.

“You should be.”

He grinned at her as her eyes grew wide. In a flash of movement, he was on top of her and giving his best attempt to tickle her. Y/N shrieked and thrashed her legs, trying to kick him off of her. As he moved his hands to her neck, a pillow hit him in the back of his head.

“Oi! You two keep it down, please. It’s three in the morning. People are trying to sleep!” Blaise grumbled from the other side of the room.

“Shove it, Zabini.” Draco replied, throwing the pillow back across the room. He climbed off of the girl beneath him and collapsed in his previous spot. Moonlight shined through the window, illuminating the sharp edges of his jaw and making his hair seem to glow in the darkness of the room. Y/N watched the Adam’s apple in his throat bob as he swallowed.

“I wouldn’t play you, you know.” he whispered, turning to face her.

“Sorry?” she replied.

“I mean… I know what you guys were talking about when I came back into the room earlier. Pansy was telling you that I’m a player… but I would never do that to you. I know what you’ve been through with other guys. I’d never treat you like they did.”

“What about all those other girls though? Pansy?”

“We were never exclusive. I fucked them once or twice and they thought that automatically meant we were an item. With Pansy, we were friends with benefits for awhile and she caught feelings, but I’ve always had my eye on someone else – someone I want to be serious with.”

“You – you want to be serious with me?”

“Of course, “ he took her hand in his before continuing. “We’ve known each other for eighteen years, I’d be crazy to not take anything serious with you.”

Y/N was glad for the darkness of the room because she was sure her cheeks were apple red. She’d waited so long to hear those words come from Draco’s mouth. On one hand, she was elated, but on the other, she wasn’t sure that she could entirely trust him on words alone. Actions proved real intent. She lay her head on his chest while his arm came around her. After a few hours and many snores from Draco later, her eyes finally succumbed to darkness.

—

Rain fell from the dark sky that Saturday morning, and if Y/N was smart, she would have taken it as a premonition. Her hand was entangled with Draco’s as they strolled through the halls. They had decided to take a more scenic route that morning, just to get extra alone time. Eventually, they found their way to the Great Hall for breakfast. A few minutes later, the platinum haired boy announced he’d be right back, before planting a kiss on Y/N’s cheek and walking away. As soon as he was outside of the doors, a girl situated herself in his previous spot.

“So, you know how we’re like _besties_ , right?” Josslyn, a Ravenclaw, asked, turning to face Y/N.

“We’re not even friends…” Y/N trailed off, blinking slowly.

“I just figured I should let you know, girl to girl, that Draco isn’t who you think he is.”

“Look, I really don’t think it’s any of your business what –”

“We had sex three nights ago. In the broom closet on the sixth floor.”

Y/N’s jaw dropped as she wracked her brain for words to say to the girl next to her. She should’ve _known_. How could she have been so _stupid_?

“If you’ll excuse me…”

She quickly grabbed her bag, abandoning any breakfast she had left. Her stomach was twisting and turning and her brain kept repeating the accusation over and over again. She should have listened to her friends. They had tried to warn her this exact thing would happen again. As she exited the doors of the Great Hall, she came face to face with the boy she thought she could trust.

“You hurt me more than any boy ever has, Draco. I hope it was worth it.”

_**I was gonna end it here, but decided to give y’all a lil somethin extra** _

Back at the Slytherin table, Josslyn was sitting with her friends, giggling. Blaise narrowed his eyes as he looked at the girl across the table.

“Pansy, that’s impossible. Draco, Theo, and I snuck out three nights ago to go hang out at the Quidditch Pitch. We were there from midnight to four in the morning and then we all went straight to bed. He was so drunk off his ass that it was a miracle we got him back to the room. As much as Draco has been a player, I don’t think he actually fucked her.”

“So, she’s lying?” Pansy paused as Blaise nodded his confirmation. “Of course she is, little Ravenclaw _bitch_. I’m going after Y/N. You two deal with the little wench.”

Pansy quickly made her way out of the Great Hall, but not before giving her best death glare to Josslyn and her group of friends. Exiting the doors, she saw Draco sitting against a wall, his legs sprawled out in front of him and he seemed to be picking at a thread on his black shirt. She slid down the wall and sat next to him.

“It was Josslyn, by the way. She told Y/N that you guys had sex in the broom closet three nights ago.” she said after a few moments of silence.

“I’ve never so much as sent a glance her way. She’s always begging me to fuck her like some kind of animal. It’s appalling, to be honest. Go find another loser Ravenclaw. _For fucks sake_ , I wish people would stay out of my business.”

“Are you serious about her, Draco? No games?”

“Yes. She’s the only one I’ve ever wanted in a way that’s more than physical. I wish you’d believe me. I don’t want to play games with her.” Draco growled.

The black haired girl swallowed hard. Taking a deep breath, and trying to let go of the previous grudges she held towards the boy, she put a hand on his shoulder.

“You need to go after her. If you’re serious, you need to go after her and tell her the truth. You need to do it _now_. I’ll come with you if you want back up. She needs to know the truth, no matter what.”

Draco’s blue eyes met Pansy’s brown ones and he nodded. He pulled himself off the ground, holding out his hand so the girl could get up as well. And then they set off to find the only girl that he wanted to see.


	38. You.

“ _Draco_.” Y/N whined, dragging out the last letter of his name. Draco looked up from his place at a desk in the common room. He was trying to finish a Potions essay that was due the next day. Procrastinating like always, he had decided to spend most of his time today with his girlfriend instead of doing his homework. He dropped his quill and looked over at the girl sprawled across the couch.

“What, love?” he answered. 

“Can you come cuddle _please_?” Her face twisted down into a pout. Draco’s stomach flipped at the sight and he almost gave in, but he shook his head instead.

“No, I have to finish this essay. I’ll be attached to you as soon as I’m done, okay?” He raised an eyebrow at the whine that came from his girlfriend. 

She turned so her back was now facing him. Deciding it was probably for the best, he picked up his quill again, his eyes scanning the book in front of him. A few minutes later, a loud sigh emitted from the couch. Looking up once more, he saw the girl was now on her stomach, one arm hanging off, and staring him straight in the eyes.

“Please.” Her voice was quiet, but Draco heard the longing in it. He cocked his head to the side.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, now slightly concerned.

“No, I just want you.” was her reply. Draco sighed, shook his head, and went back to writing. 

There truly was nothing wrong with Y/N – physically – and there was no reason for her to act so clingy when they had spent the entire day attached at the hip. However, it was now two in the morning and she couldn’t help the intrusive thoughts that filled her head. 

She couldn’t explain it, but she just felt sad. And when it was this quiet and her boyfriend wasn’t near her to distract her, it was easy to listen to what her brain was telling her. Thoughts about how he should be with anyone else but her and how insecure she felt at times floated through her head.

Furrowing her brows, she turned once more so her face was in the back couch cushions. Sighing loudly and rubbing her eyes, she tried to relax. She took a few deep breaths, but the voices still whispered and her body was still tight. Her knees curled up and she crossed her arms over her stomach. 

_Not good enough to date Draco Malfoy._

_Not funny or smart enough to be in the Slytherin Squad friend group._

_They don’t like you anyways, they just feel bad for you._

Groaning, she decided she’d had enough and swung her body off the couch. With a determined mindset, she walked over to her boyfriend, who seemed to now be deep in the thoughts of his paper. She wiggled herself under his arm and swung her leg over the boy’s lap. His chest vibrated with a laugh as she settled into him. Her arms wrapped around his torso and her face was nestled in his neck.

“Hi, angel.” he said, writing an important fact down on his parchment.

“Hi. I know you said you wanted to finish that first, but I just need you right now.”  
  
“That’s fine, you should’ve just done this earlier. It’s nice.” His left hand was rubbing up and down her back while his right hand was flipping through the pages of his book. Y/N peered down at the book on the table.

“What color is a Shrinking Solution supposed to be?” Draco asked, his eyes scanning the pages in front of him.

“Green, I think.” she replied, stifling a yawn.

“You’re so smart. How’d a smart girl like you end up with an idiot like me? You should ask for a refund.”  
  
“Shut up.” Y/N laughed and lightly smacked his chest.

“Okay, I’m almost done. I have to write what Amortentia smells like to me… Well, that’s easy.” Draco muttered, before leaning back and pulling Y/N off him a little. She looked at him, tilted her head slightly, and smiled.

“What does Amortentia smell like to you, Draco?” she asked, the sly smile still lingering on her lips.

“I’m not sure… can you tell me what Blaise smells like?”

Y/N erupted with uncontrollable laughter. Maybe it was just that funny to her. Maybe it was the way he’d started out so serious. Or maybe it was the fact that it was so late that she had hit the state of delusion. But she couldn’t stop laughing. The boy beneath her raised an eyebrow and smirked. 

“Alright, angel, calm down. It wasn’t that funny. You’re going to wake the entire castle up.”

“Okay, okay, sorry. I just didn’t expect you to say that. You’re funny sometimes.”  
  
“Sometimes?” he asked incredulously, wrapping his arms around her, bringing her closer to him. He buried his head in her neck, his nose beneath her jaw, and breathed in. The lingering smell of her vanilla scented perfume filled his nostrils. He also caught a whiff of the coconut shampoo she used. He dragged his lips down her neck.

“Don’t start something you won’t finish, Draco Malfoy.” she said coyly, grabbing him by his hair and pulling him back so their eyes met.  
  
“Who said I don’t have the intent to finish?” he asked her, his eyes filling with lust. She rolled her eyes and laid her head back down on his shoulder.

“Finish your essay.” she replied, closing her eyes, sinking into him. 

A few minutes passed as Draco finished and made edits to his paper. Soon enough, he heard soft snores in his ear. He smiled to himself as he set his essay in the book and closed it. And though he’d never let anyone know, he’d treasure these moments for the rest of his life. 


End file.
